Avatar: The Return of the Benders Book One: Water
by Isis Magic
Summary: Kaiya Saito has a secret. She can control water. Set in our present, approximately 2000 years after Aang defeated Ozai, this story follows Kaiya and her friends as they search for the new Avatar. Special thanks to Angelique. Rated T for Language
1. Chapter 1: The Girl from California

**This story has been in my head for some time now. I think ever since my friend Angelique said, "Hey, we should watch Avatar!" Which we did. All of Season One (which she had on DVD) and half of Season Two (which she had taped) in probably less than a week, knowing us. I was hooked. (Fear not, I avenged myself with Firefly and Serenity.) And before long, we were cooking up this story about a modern-day waterbender named Kaiya and her roommate Hotaru. First it was an RPG, then it was a comic, now it is a straight-up fanfiction, in the hopes that I will actually finish it this time. Here's hoping.**

**Please Note: This is not a retelling of the Avatar story. These are (so far) all original characters, even though a few might seem awfully familiar. Also, this is not an alternate universe. Everything that happened in the show, happened here. Just, you know, 2000 years ago. And, of course, I don't own Avatar. I just have no life and this is what seems fun to me this week. Enjoy!  
**

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Chapter One: The Girl from California

"Saito, room one-twenty-three, I believe," a young woman with long, wavy brown hair told the resident assistant at the long table set up in the lobby. _So, _she thought, _this is college. Nothing exciting so far._

"Kaiya?" the RA asked. She nodded. "Well, here's your keys, and a free cup from the student life board, and a Pizza Palace menu, and a key chain ID-holder whistle…" The RA handed Kaiya a pile of junk, as if he knew she would never, ever use this stuff. Well, maybe she'd use the pizza menu. "Why don't you go get yourself settled a bit, and, uh, meet your roommate, and I'll be by to check on you in a few minutes?" A crowd was forming behind the girl, and the RA wanted to get to the rest of them.

"Sure thing," Kaiya said brightly. She turned and started to walk away. Then she realized, "Hey, uh, which way is it?" The RA pointed distractedly as a set of twins came up to his section of folding table. "Right. Okay," Kaiya muttered to herself, setting off down the hall.

As she side-stepped a mushroom chair that someone had set in the hallway, Kaiya was thankful that her belongings consisted of a body-sized duffle bad and a cardboard box she could actually lift. Parents and students alike were hauling in boxes upon boxes of stuff for rooms the size of shoeboxes. How did they think they were going to fit all of that in a little dorm room? Really?

"Oh, honey, where do you want your futon?" one parent asked his daughter just as Kaiya passed. Kaiya shook her head.

But then, she did wish she had parents what actually cared enough to help her move in and make her new room a home. At least she had the credit card. The great and powerful Saitos would pay for not being parents of the year. Kaiya had in mind a beautiful new blue laptop and a Wii. She wasn't actually a fan of video games, but she just liked to say it. Wii.

*****

"I want to know where Kaiya Saito is at all times, Wei. She is too important to our supporters to let anything happen to her."

"You have my word, General. Kaiya Saito will be carefully watched. With the Red Spirit gone there is no chance of danger," Wei answered the voice on the intercom. He rarely saw the General in person. Wei's division was supposed to be nonexistent. Secrecy was their greatest ally.

"I want your best man on a protection detail."

"General, I am afraid we cannot go down that road again," Wei answered. His best agent had certainly messed things up royally a few months ago. If he showed back up in Kaiya's life now the result would be nothing short of an utter disaster. "But she is in college. How much trouble could she really get into in college?"

"I hope you remember, Wei, that this girl has magnets in her pockets. She does not find trouble. Trouble finds her. Take steps."

"Already done, Sir. We have a whole squad of Elites in the area ready to spring into action at a moment's notice to extract Kaiya Saito from any danger."

That little girl from California was a real pain in Wei's ass. Instead of being able to focus on his search for the Avatar, he had to constantly make sure the daughter of their richest and most influential supporters had to be kept safe. Secretly Wei wished there never had been a Kaiya Saito.

*****

Finally Kaiya came to room one twenty-three. She dropped her box and her bag and stood there a few moments before she knocked. Just thinking.

_I could just turn around and go back to California, forget all about this college plan and come up with something better. I could run away. I could tour the world on Mom and Dad's credit. I mean, it's not like they're exactly going to miss me or anything. They wouldn't care if I went to the moon. I don't even think they remember me when they do their taxes. I could disappear and no one would care._

_Hahn. _

_Hahn would kill me. He would track me down and kill me. Uncle Zan was a cop. Hahn probably inherited that truth-seeking gene of his. If anybody could find me, it would be Hahn. _

_When he gets back from Germany, that is. If he comes back at all. Who the hell goes to Germany when their little cousin is just starting school? Doesn't he realize I'll need him?_

_Chill out, Kaiya. Remember why you are here. You are here because you had to get away from the ocean. You around oh so much water is just a bad plan. You are going to start a new life for yourself. You are going to forget all the bad. _

_But first you have to knock on that door._

Before she could knock, the door opened, and standing there before Kaiya was her new roommate. She had shoulder-length, straight black hair and golden eyes. She looked very surprised to find Kaiya just kind of lurking in the hallway.

"Uh, hi!" Kaiya said as enthusiastically as she could. "I'm Kaiya. From California."

"I'm Hotaru. Hotaru Jia," the girl answered, backing into the room so Kaiya could enter.

Kaiya kicked the box into her room while dragging the bag. She hadn't expected much from her dorm room, but this was disgraceful. "How long have you been moved in?" Kaiya asked.

"A week," Hotaru answered, as she always did, just the question put to her. She did not see the point in giving any more information than absolutely necessary.

Kaiya looked around again at the very bare room. There was a mini refridgerator in the corner, Hotaru's bed was neatly made, her desk perfectly organized. But there were no posters on the wall, no trash in the can, no evidence that a teenager lived here at all. If Kaiya had been there a week, the walls would have been covered with surfing posters, artwork, and pictures of Hahn and Aunt Keira, and a visitor probably would not have been able to see the floor. Hotaru had brought a very nice, new rug, however, for the new room. Kaiya bet Hotaru's parents had helped _her_ move.

Hotaru thought the girl from California was too tan, too skinny, and altogether too curious about Hotaru's side of the room. She had known all along this was a bad idea. Why she had not listened to her instincts, she didn't know, but Hotaru was certainly regretting this decision now.

She could have gone to school with her sister, Hoshi. Hotaru couldn't stand Hoshi. The hatred of her sister had outweighed the potential disaster of going to a different college. They looked just alike but were in reality polar opposites. A lot of the time Hotaru, wished she could be anyone else but Hoshi Jia's twin sister.

"So, um," Kaiya started. "Where are you from?" It was very small talk, but she didn't know where else to start. Snowball effect? Maybe? Possibly? Kaiya was trying to think positively.

"Dublin."

"Ireland?" Kaiya asked excitedly, dropping what she was doing to turn around and look at Hotaru, who had perched herself upon her bed and was apparently deep into a mythology book. This turned out to be a bad idea because her clothes fell from her bag onto the floor, making a mess Kaiya was certain that her new clean-freak roommate would not appreciate.

"No," Hotaru answered, raising an eyebrow at Kaiya's clothes. _What does she think she will do with three bikinis in Ohio? _"Ohio. You know."

"Oh," Kaiya said, disappointed. She started throwing her clothes haphazardly into her dresser. She laughed nervously. "I guess I've got a lot to learn."

"Yeah," Hotaru commented. _This is going to be a very long semester._

*****

Zakk looked at the photo again, traced the outline of the fake moon of the prom backdrop with his forefinger. They looked so perfect together. The Dragon Couple. He could barely believe it had only been four months since he had last seen Kaiya. He knew he should burn the picture and the journal he'd found buried in the sand by Kaiya's aunt's house. He knew he couldn't let Wei find out what had really happened while he was supposed to be protecting Kaiya.

_The mask flew off her face. She went down. The Ghost stepped up to his conquered enemy, removed his own mask to see her better. "Kaiya!" _

Zakk tucked the photo back into the journal and put the whole thing back into his hiding place.

"You really ought to think about letting her go, Zakk," Mike Chan said from behind him. Although he worked directly under Wei, Zakk really trusted Mike. It seemed to him Mike always had something to hide, too. Where they were, if you had something to hide, it meant you were probably doing something right.

Zakk had been taken to the Elites when he was five and placed under Wei's care. For thirteen years Wei had trained him to be the weapon the government needed. Sometimes a spy, sometimes a body guard, always controlled.

"I just can't, Mike."

Maybe not _always_ controlled.

*****

"Like a gift from the heavens it was easy to tell," Kaiya sang from her side of the room, "it was love from above that could save me from hell." She had her headphones on, as Hotaru had requested, but her singing was just as loud as the real music would have been.

Hotaru would have rather heard the real music than Kaiya's attempts at singing.

It had been a week since Kaiya had moved in. Just one week. That was it. Classes had started, and Hotaru was enjoying almost everything about her new college life. People were for the most part friendly, and she thought she would do well in all her classes. But then there was Kaiya. Kaiya who within that week had turned her side of the room into a disaster zone. She never made her bed, didn't understand the concept of a laundry basket, and had somehow managed to fill every inch of her side of the room with junk. Organization was apparently not in Kaiya's limited vocabulary.

Also, she had stuck all these posters up on the walls. Most of them had surfers on them. All of them were blue. Thankfully, Kaiya did understand the room boundary lines and adhered to them very strictly.

"Away, away, away, away, and we danced on into the night," Kaiya sang.

When she started humming the guitar solo, Hotaru lost it. "Kaiya!" she yelled. She felt her heart beat rise dangerously, and she tried to take a breath.

"What?" Kaiya yelled back, taking off the headphones. "I'm wearing the headphones, okay? I cannot function without noise!"

"You are the most chaotic… how can anyone stand to be around you?" Hotaru yelled, throwing her book down onto her bed angrily.

Across the room, Kaiya put her new computer down on her bed and sat up, glaring. "Better than being so tight that if someone shoved a lump of coal up your ass they'd have a diamond in two days!" she screamed.

Hotaru lost control. Suddenly she couldn't see anything but red. Flames shot out of her hands and towards her roommate.

Thinking quickly, Kaiya threw the water from the bottle on the floor onto the flames. _So much for nothing exciting happening at college._


	2. Chapter 2: Fire and Ice

Chapter Two: Fire and Ice

_No. No. No. No. No. Not again. What have I done? _Hotaru didn't dare open her eyes. She sat on her bed, knees folded tightly against her chest, rocking just slightly.

Kaiya, having taken care of the flames, pulled the water back into her bottle and got up from her bed. "Hotaru?"

"I'm sorry!" the fire starter yelped.

"Hotaru, everything's fine. Look. Open your eyes," Kaiya said gently, moving closer to the girl.

Hotaru opened one eye, didn't see flames, so opened the other. She blinked as she looked around carefully. "What? What happened?"

Kaiya smiled, "Something exciting!"

"No, really, Kaiya, what happened? It did happen, right? I mean, I thought it happened." Hotaru was all of a sudden very confused.

"Yes, it happened. You shot fire at me. Neat trick, by the way," Kaiya said. "But it's okay, because I can do this," Kaiya pulled some water out of her bottle, formed it around her hand, and froze it. "See, Hotaru? You're fire, and I'm ice! What are the chances of us meeting like this, huh? Isn't that awesome?"

Hotaru wasn't really thinking about whether or not this was a good thing, a bad thing, or a dream. She was just staring at the ice.

"Hotaru, did you really think you were the only freak in the world?" Kaiya asked.

"Well, yeah, it did kind of feel like that…"

"Oh! We'll be like Pyro and Ice Man!" Kaiya said excitedly. Then she realized what she'd just said and amended, "Okay, maybe not Pyro and Ice Man. Um, hmm. Well, maybe like a good Pyro and Ice Man. And girls. Obviously. Oh, Hotaru, this is going to be awesome!" With that Kaiya launched herself at Hotaru, giving her the most awkward hug in the universe.

A knock came at the door, and the RA walked in. "Hi, uh, Ladies," he muttered when he came in to see, not the scene he expected with bloodshed and one girl standing triumphantly over the other's body, but the girls actually hugging. Girls were weird.

Kaiya and Hotaru sprang apart, and Kaiya went into hyper-mode. "Hi! What's up?" she asked, kind of bouncing in place. Almost like a dashboard trinket.

"Well, we, uh, had some complaints about yelling, and someone said they smelled smoke, so I was just checking to see if you ladies knew anything about that?"

Wow. Someone who actually cared what Kaiya did. This was new.

"Well, as you can see, no fire here," Kaiya said, gesturing to the whole room. "And, we're fine now. Just a little roommate argument is all. We've resolved it on our own. Right, Hotaru?"

Hotaru, still a little shaken, nodded. She didn't know what was worse, shooting fire at her new roommate or receiving a hug from her.

"Are you sure, Hotaru?" the RA asked.

"Yeah, we're, um, fine. Just getting used to each other is all," Hotaru said as calmly as she could.

"And no fire here at all? Not even a little candle?"

"Well, I do have…"

"Candles aren't allowed in the dorms. We know that. We would never break campus policy. Maybe the smell was coming from outside. The air flow is always weird in dorms," Hotaru interrupted before Kaiya had the RA searching their whole room. This, with Kaiya's scattered belongings, would have taken a while.

The RA narrowed his eyes at the two of them. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was strange about those two. Still, he couldn't prove anything. He didn't smell any smoke or see any candles. And, they'd been hugging. They would probably become like best friends for life or something like that. Who was he to mess with that? This was college, after all. RAs were supposed to cut some slack sometimes. "Well, all right. If you need anything, I'm at the desk all night."

"Yeah, sure, we'll call you at the desk if we need anything," Kaiya muttered.

"Thanks, Mike," Hotaru said as the RA left.

"Okay, so, spill, when did you first figure out you had powers?" Kaiya asked almost as soon as the door closed. Hotaru really wished she was more careful. It wasn't like they were talking about first kisses or something normal like that. Talking about this kind of stuff got you sent to scientists for dissection.

"I was ten," Hotaru said.

"_Hotaru! What are you doing?" Song, Hotaru's best (and only) friend asked, coming across the beach._

"_Look what I can do, Song!" Hotaru pulled a long whip of fire out of her hand and threw it up in the air. "Isn't it amazing?" She was old enough to know this was not normal, but young enough to think maybe it really was a super power._

_Song screamed and ran away, back up the beach to call her parents to come and get her away from the Jia's summer estate on Ember Island. Hotaru never saw her again, though she tried to write her letters explaining it was just a trick of the light. Of course it wasn't real fire. That would be crazy._

_It wasn't until she was fourteen that Hotaru realized it was a curse. That was when she really had to start suppressing it. Now it just came out of her when she was angry. She was like the Hulk or something. A monster. Uncontrollable. Powerful. Frightening._

"It was the summer. It was really hot. I just felt the fire in me, and then there it was," Hotaru added after a moment.

Kaiya looked curiously at the girl. She knew from experience fire starters were different. Destructive, powerful, and set off by anger. Hotaru seemed scared of her power. But, maybe, maybe the girl could learn to control it. The Ghost had certainly been able to control it. Not that Kaiya was supposed to know about the Ghost.

"I was six," Kaiya said proudly. "Hahn, that's my older cousin, and I were at the beach one day, and this stupid pasty touristy kid came up to us and stole my beach ball! It was brand new and was one of those ones that also functioned as a globe. It was great! I loved that ball. Well, when this stupid kid stole it, I kind of flipped out, and the next thing I knew, I was throwing a wave of water at him. Down he went, the ball went flying, and then I caught it."

"_Kaiya, that was totally wicked!" Hahn cheered. _

"_Hey, you, no rough housing on the beach!" _

"Until now Hahn was the only other person who knew about my little secret. Does anyone else know about yours?"

"Yes, but they won't say anything." _They've been too well bribed,_ Hotaru thought.

"That's good. It's always good to have someone you can trust," Kaiya said, thinking about Zakk. She still couldn't believe she had almost told him everything. All about her powers and all about her secret mission to find out the truth about her Uncle Zan's death. All about the Red Spirit and her battles with the Ghost. But, no. He'd been a jerk in the end. Who breaks up with someone right after senior prom? Honestly?

"How do you, um," Hotaru faltered.

"Control it?" Kaiya guessed. Hotaru nodded. "Just practiced. It was pretty easy to get away with it. My Aunt Keira has this big house on the beach that I usually stayed at because my parents are…well, that's a totally different story. But anyway, I would go out swimming, but instead of swimming, I would practice my powers. I can do lots of things. Fighting to fire prevention to parlor tricks. I can even make an ice surf board and ride waves on it!" Kaiya bounced again, remembering. _Man, do I miss that._ "What about you? Can you control it?"

"Is it that obvious that I can't?" Hotaru asked.

"Just a bit. I mean, I did get you awfully angry. And, honestly, if we had been by the ocean, I can't say I wouldn't have froze you in a giant ice cube or something," Kaiya offered. "But have you ever tried?"

"When I was younger, I did. But, then, I couldn't do it. I, it was too much. So, I stopped trying to control it and started trying to hide it."

"Well, that's silly," Kaiya stated. "This is part of who you are, Hotaru. You can't just hide it. You can't tuck it away deep inside yourself. You're ignoring a big part of what makes you, you. You know?"

Hotaru blinked. "Well, how am I supposed to learn to control it? It's not like I can go out into the middle of the ocean where no one will notice a giant ring of fire coming out of a girl's hands!"

"Well," Kaiya said, "Think for a minute. You're a smart girl. What have you got now that you didn't have when you were younger?"

Hotaru blinked again.

Kaiya sighed. "You've got _me_, stupid." Kaiya pointed to Hotaru then to herself, smiling. "Fire meet ice."


	3. Chapter 3: Extracurriculars

Chapter Three: Extracurriculars

_It was night, and there was a full moon. She swam out into the sea, wanting to forget everything. Her own stupidity, Zakk's betrayal. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing but the water. The ocean would protect her. The ocean would welcome her like a daughter ought to be welcomed. She would be free. And she wouldn't have to hide anymore._

_She swam until she couldn't swim anymore. Looking back at the shore, Kaiya realized that there was no way in the world she would be able to make it back there. She was stuck, and she was alone. And all of a sudden, Kaiya knew there was something bigger out there for her. Something she was supposed to do that she would never get to do now. _

_The storm began, waves crashing into her exhausted body. There was no hope. She let go. Kaiya Saito went down._

Kaiya woke up with a jerk. "Holy shit," she gasped as she tried to reassure herself that it was only a dream. Of course, it hadn't been only a dream. She'd awoken on the beach, sore and still exhausted, but alive. She didn't know how she survived. She couldn't remember that part. She just remembered going down. She'd decided then that it was time to leave California, get away from the ocean. It was dangerous, her being around that much water. She had to disappear.

Disappearing had worked out so far, but the putting the past behind her hadn't exactly worked yet. Hence the nightmares.

"Are you all right, Kaiya?" Hotaru asked from her computer.

It was Saturday, and there was absolutely nothing to do on campus. Not for Kaiya anyway. Hotaru was studying or researching or otherwise occupying herself with scholarship. For the past couple of weeks, the weekends had been the hardest part of college life. The weekends meant time to think. Time to think was very bad.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk around campus. Clear my head," Kaiya said.

"You sure you don't want breakfast or something first?" Hotaru asked, but Kaiya was already out the door before she got the question out. "Uh-huh." Hotaru blamed the full moon. Seemed as reasonable an explanation for Kaiya's sudden mood swing as anything else.

*****

"Once more from your line, Washi," the director yelled from his chair in the front row.

Washi sighed, wondering how many more times during the production he would want to throw his costar off the stage for forgetting her lines. "But darling, why did you lock the door?"

"Why did I lock the door? Why did you lock the … shit." The expression on Sonya's face changed drastically.

"What's wrong with my Brooke now? Brooke, you don't say 'shit' ever. You can never say 'shit,'" Ray yelled from his seat.

"I lost my damn contact lens," Sonya explained, going down on all fours.

"This is ridiculous," Washi yelled to Ray. "Couldn't you find someone with twenty-twenty vision to play Brooke?"

"Discrimination. And look who's wearing glasses!" Sonya yelled, smacking Washi in the side of the leg. "Help me look!"

"I need five, Ray," Washi said, ignoring his blonde costar and escaping out the front of the theater. As he opened the doors to the theater, he nearly ran into a very tan young woman with long, wavy, brown hair, and the most blue eyes Washi had ever seen. Suddenly Washi forgot what he was thinking about.

"Oh, hi there," the girl said. "Something going on in there?"

"Uh, wha? Yeah!" Washi fumbled. _Nice. Moron. _"We're rehearsing for the play. We open in about a month. But I don't know how we're going to do that if we can't get through a rehearsal without Sonya's damn contact falling out!" Washi yelled the last part for Ray's benefit.

"I don't have time to audition and cast a new Vicki slash Brooke. I just don't. So just deal with it, Washi," Ray yelled back.

"What play is it?" Kaiya asked, curious.

"It's called Noises Off. It's a really zany farce. Classic physical comedy and making fun of the theater industry," Washi explained.

"Oh," Kaiya commented. Then something clicked in her memory. "Oh, hey! Is this that sardine movie?"

"Would you rather have mashed up banana?" Washi asked.

Kaiya laughed. "Awesome! I love that movie. I watch it whenever it comes on television. It's great. But, uh, how are you making that a play?"

"Not hard, cause, you know, it started as a play," Washi explained. "We've got this neat turn table thing planned. Oh, man, the theater department construction crew totally flipped out when they heard what we wanted to do. You know, in a good way, because they like a challenge. Last year they flooded the stage."

"On purpose?"

"Of course on purpose? You think they'd flood the stage on accident?" Washi asked, perplexed. "Anyway, I'm Washi." He stuck out his right hand as he pushed his Gary glasses back up his nose.

"I'm Kaiya," the girl answered, taking his hand. He was nice. A little goofy, but nice. Kaiya smiled at him. "So, uh, what's up with Sonya's contacts?"

Washi sighed. "She lost one just now. On 'Why did I lock the door.' Her eyes always open really weird at that point and I feel like I should jump forward to catch her contacts." Washi looked Kaiya over. He was suddenly struck by one of those brilliant ideas that usually meant ill for anyone around him. But sometimes they worked. "Have you ever done any acting?"

"Sorry?"

"That was perfect!" Washi yelped. "You don't wear contacts, do you?"

"No," Kaiya said slowly. "What are you thinking?" Now she was suspicious.

"Do you wanna?"

"Wanna what?"

"Ray! I found us a new Brooke!"

*****

Hotaru paced the length of the room. It had been three hours. Where was she? A walk did not take three hours. As much as Hotaru told herself that Kaiya was probably okay, that Kaiya could definitely take care of herself, she just knew something bad had happened. She didn't know whether to call campus police or not. Whether to go and look for her or whether to stay put in case she called.

Hotaru really hated worrying about another human being. Used to be she only had to worry about herself, what she would do. Now she had to worry about what Kaiya would do.

And Kaiya seemed the type who could do anything.

The door finally opened, and Kaiya stepped in, looking a little tired but otherwise healthy. She smiled at Hotaru and waved. "Hi, honey! I'm home!"

"Where the hell have you been?" Hotaru yelled. "You said a walk! That wasn't a walk! What the – are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

_So this is what having a real parent feels like, _Kaiya thought as she threw her arms out in surrender. "I got sidetracked, and I didn't have my phone to call you. Sorry."

"Sidetracked with what?" Hotaru asked. "You weren't playing around with the campus lake or anything, were you? I know how much you miss surfing…"

"No, I found the theater."

"We have a theater?" Hotaru asked, tilting her head.

"Exactly. And, um, I'm, uh, I'm in the school play!" Kaiya said, trying to make it sound like good news.

Hotaru blinked.

"I was told repeatedly that it would be fun," Kaiya declared.

Hotaru blinked again.

Kaiya sighed. "How's the control coming?" she asked a few minutes later.

Hotaru glared.

"That good, huh?"

*****

"I would like to investigate Hotaru Jia," Mike Chan said from his desk as Wei walked in.

"Put Zakk on it. He needs a project," Wei answered casually.

"I can't do that, sir. She's Kaiya Saito's roommate."

"I will never understand how that boy could mess up such an important assignment as he did last year. He's a teenaged boy! You would think he would be happy to have a girlfriend like Kaiya Saito. Rich, pretty, and the daughter of people who could guarantee his freedom." Wei shook his head. "Water under the bridge now, I suppose." He looked at Mike. "Why do you want to investigate her roommate?"

"It's like the general said, Kaiya has magnets in her pockets. Trouble finds her wherever she goes. We should investigate all her new friends. Starting with her roommate."

"If that were the only reason, you would have led with that. Why specifically this girl?"

"I think she may be a firebender."

Wei looked at his second in command with new respect. She would be too old to train as Zakk had been, but she would nevertheless be a fine new recruit. One who Kaiya would trust with her life. One who would not let emotions get the better of her. Wei smiled. "Yes, investigate this Hotaru Jia. She may be of some very great use to us."

Mike opened his mouth to say something as his boss walked away. It wasn't exactly what Mike had had in mind. He didn't want to recruit Hotaru Jia. He wanted to protect her.


	4. Chapter 4: The Legend of the Avatar

Chapter Four: The Legend of the Avatar

Hotaru's mind was wandering more and more lately. She blamed Kaiya.

Of course, she found herself blaming Kaiya for a lot of changes in her behavior lately. She was practicing what Kaiya coined "Flame-throwing" everyday. She sat in front of Kaiya's illegal candles and tried to make the flames grow bigger and smaller. So far, she had managed to connect the flames to her breathing, and Kaiya said the next step was to light the candles from scratch. It was getting harder to find time to practice, though, because Kaiya had play rehearsals every night. And one thing had not changed in Hotaru. She was still as frightened of her powers as ever. The last thing she needed was to start a fire in her dorm room.

These problems were running through Hotaru's head during her World Mythology class. So when her professor said, "The ability to control the elements," it came as quite a shock to her. Her head popped right up, she dropped her pencil, and started paying very, very close attention to the lecture.

*****

"What's _that_ Dad? What's that _Dad_? _What's_ that Dad?" Kaiya looked at herself in her full length mirror. She tilted her head to get a different angle on her outfit. Or, lack of outfit really. She imitated Washi's voice, "You can't stand here like this!" She put Brooke back on. "Like what?" Back to Washi. "In your underwear!" Brooke, "Okay, I'll take it off!"

"I know what we are!" Hotaru screamed as she bounded into the room, more energetic than Kaiya had ever seen her.

"Ahh!" Kaiya screamed, backing away from the door.

Hotaru stopped short when she saw Kaiya's outfit. "What are you wearing?"

"My costume."

"What kind of play is this, anyway?"

"A farce. Anyway, it's not that bad. I've got bathing suits that reveal more than this." With this, Kaiya put on a T-shirt and pair of sweatpants. "You had something you wanted to say?"

"I was sitting in mythology class and not really paying attention because I've had a lot on my mind lately with all this 'hey, Hotaru, I think you could actually learn how to control your powers' stuff. Then my professor said something about people who could control the elements. In ancient times, there was a legend that called these people benders. There were four kinds. Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. And then there was this one bender who could control all four elements. And they called him the Avatar. And the Avatar was reborn again and again and brought balance and peace to the world. So that's what we are. Not the Avatar, obviously, because even if one of us was the Avatar, then that would mean the other one wasn't. But we're Benders!"

It was the most Hotaru had ever said at a single time.

Kaiya blinked. "Benders," she repeated.

Hotaru answered, "Exactly! I'm a firebender! It sounds so right when I say it out loud. And, Kaiya! This means there's more of us! A lot more! Earthbenders and Airbenders and more Waterbenders and Firebenders! We aren't alone!" Hotaru was smiling, excited.

Kaiya couldn't tell her. She'd already known they weren't alone.

*****

Zakk dodged a rock flying at his head and whipped a ring of fire at his opponent. Words simply could not describe how much he hated the training ring. It didn't help that he was fighting dirt. He wasn't sure how it was supposed to work, setting fire to dirt.

"Ready to give up?" Tong Fa, the little earthbender he was fighting asked from across the ring as she blocked his firebending with a rock wall. She was a thirteen-year-old fighting machine, and the only earthbender Wei actually cared anything about. Earthbenders were harder to control. Or something.

"Stop talking!" Zakk yelled, kicking fire spurts at her. He hated talking while fighting. If you were fighting, obviously talking wasn't going to do any good. He'd learned that much from the Red Spirit.

Tong Fa raised the floor beneath her feet, and Zakk hoped for her sake that she could set it right again before Wei had a heart attack. Not that Wei having a heart attack would be all that bad. Zakk resorted to fire whips, but no sooner had he formed them in his hands that Tong Fa threw him into the air. Zakk tumbled to the ground, which was not a safe place for him to be. He knew this. Tong Fa pushed him back up and threw obstacles at him relentlessly. She'd broken his root, and she wasn't going to give it back.

Zakk concentrated, found level ground for a split second, and threw a wave of fire at Tong Fa. It was his last good trick. And she knew it. She raised herself up off the ground again and rode her little rock on a collision course with Zakk's head. Zakk hit the deck. Nothing could beat this kid. He hated his job.

From the observation deck, Mike Chan commented, "You can't control her if she gets a mind of her own. When she gets a mind of her own. What then, Wei? Who can defeat her? No one here, that's for certain. What we need is an airbender."

"No, what we need is the Avatar," Wei countered. "Any luck finding me that scroll yet?"

*****

"So, what's this Avatar thing?" Kaiya asked as Hotaru found the place in her textbook that talked about the Benders.

"I told you, he's the only one who can control all four elements. There's one at a time, and he's reborn over and over again. His job is to keep balance and peace in the world. That's what the book says, anyway," Hotaru answered.

"And where did the book get its information?"

"An ancient scroll in the collection of a Professor Lee of Xavier University."

Kaiya blinked. "There's an Xavier University?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I mean, we have mutant-like powers and the answers to why are in the hands of Xavier."

"This is an X-Men thing, isn't it?" Hotaru asked. To Kaiya, almost everything could be turned into an X-Men thing. Hotaru was learning to get used to it.

Kaiya shrugged. "I can't help it. My whole life has been a story out of X-Men."

"Well, not anymore," Hotaru pointed to the book's illustration of an avatar. The artist had definitely seen Star Wars one too many times. "Now, your life story is straight out of the mythology textbook."

"So, anyway, how do we know they're translating this scroll right or whatever? I mean, don't they get stuff like this wrong all the time?"

Hotaru blinked. "I would say that, since we exist and all, there's a pretty good chance this is real."

"Well, I'm just saying, wouldn't it be better to have the original source? I mean, isn't that what a good scholar would look at? You don't look at, I don't know, Wikipedia for the story of Hamlet. You go to the library and read Hamlet." Kaiya wanted that scroll. She wanted that information. The straight, unfiltered, stuff. The nature of the elements. Good versus evil. If the elements were at war. Anything that could make sense of the craziness that had always consumed Kaiya's life.

"Unfortunately, Kaiya, this is a very rare scroll and has been overlooked for like ever. I mean, look, just a page in the textbook. That's it." Hotaru pointed at her book again. "Not much interest in the benders." She shrugged. "I mean, what are we supposed to do? Go and ask Professor Lee for a look at the scroll? Yeah, like he'd give us the time of day. How would we convince him? Tell him we're Benders? He'd have a heart attack. Or have us committed. Kaiya, I thought you'd be happy. I mean, we have an answer now. Sure, maybe not the complete one, but we know what we are."

Hotaru eventually went back to studying the passage by herself and searching the internet for more information. While she was thus distracted, Kaiya dug out her duffle bag and transferred its last occupants into her book bag. She couldn't believe what she was planning, and she was pretty sure Hahn would kill her himself when he found out, but she couldn't stand this nibble by nibble way of getting to the truth. She had to know the full story. She needed that scroll.


	5. Chapter 5: The Red Spirit

Chapter Five: The Red Spirit

_One Year Ago_

"Aunt Keira, how did Uncle Zan die?" Kaiya asked from her seat at the kitchen table.

Across the kitchen, a tea cup clattered to the floor. Iroh, Keira's boyfriend, mumbled an apology as he stooped to pick it up.

"Oh, honey, you know that. There was a car accident."

"But why weren't Hahn and I hurt?" Kaiya had been three, Hahn five. They'd both been in the backseat. Hahn even remembered that part.

"It was a miracle. The whole car was totaled, but you and Hahn were all right, thank God. Now, Kaiya, what brought this up, huh?"

"It's just that," Kaiya faltered. She knew this wasn't good for Aunt Keira. After all, she was finally moving on with Uncle Iroh. She didn't really need Kaiya bringing up her husband's untimely death. "I'm, uh, curious."

Iroh raised an eyebrow, but Keira let it slide.

Something about Zan Saito's death didn't seem right to Kaiya. Not that it was supposed to seem right, but still. Her gut told her there was something going on under the surface. Something Keira didn't even know. And a need for truth burned a whole inside Kaiya's brain until she decided to do something very, very stupid.

Her parents had a wonderful collection of ancient Chinese masks. She stole one off the wall while they were away on business, created a whole costume for herself, a whole new identity for the justice-seeking vigilante. Later she would blame the comic books.

As the Red Spirit, Kaiya started with the police station, looking for files on Zan Saito's fatal car crash. She wanted pictures. She wanted to see how the car had been destroyed without harming the children in the backseat. As it turned out, the older files were not kept in the police station. When she got to the warehouse, someone was waiting for her.

He called himself the Ghost and claimed he was nothing more than a weapon. He gave her the choice, "Stop this, or I will stop you."

"Right, and how do you plan to do that in your fancy mask and cape combo? Don't you know anything? Capes are a bad idea, dumbass," Kaiya replied.

His answer was to throw a ball of fire at her head. Apparently freezing several police officers with her powers had been a bad plan. Kaiya got out of there alive, but the warehouse, sadly, did not survive.

After her first battle with the Ghost, Kaiya decided to keep looking. How could she not when the enemy was being so blatantly stupid? The Ghost had only proven something was wrong. She found out the name of Zan's old partner and looked her up. She was in a mental institute. When the Ghost found her there, he blew the hospital sky high.

But Mari Zhou had told Kaiya something just before she got out of the hospital. "I went back to the scene and found blood in the woods near the wreck. I just knew it was Zan's. Zan got out of that car. They told me to shut up. Told me Zan was dead and to let it go. That it didn't matter how. But it does. The truth matters. It always matters."

That night it was a full moon, and it was storming, and the Ghost went down hard. Kaiya wouldn't see him again until the end of April. Right after prom.

When she found Denix, one of Zan's old friends, she knew she'd finally gotten somewhere. Denix had never stopped looking for the truth. Denix blamed a force of the government called the Elites on Zan's death. He told her that they were recruiting kids and brainwashing them to become weapons. Zan had found out and was eliminated.

The Ghost was waiting for her as she left his office. "Haven't seen you in a while. Were you afraid of a rematch?" Kaiya asked.

"Red Spirit, I am instructed to give you one last chance to forget what you have seen and heard."

"Bite me."

The Ghost threw a wave of fire at her. Kaiya didn't really remember the fight. There was no moon that night, and there had not been rain for a few days. The Ghost had obviously used his time to train, and Kaiya was not prepared for the relentlessness of the attacks. He fought like his whole life was at stake. The last thing Kaiya remembered was the blue fire coming right for her.

She awoke in a guestroom at Iroh's house. It was fairly close to Denix's office. She didn't know how she'd gotten there, and she was badly burned. Her outfit was torn to pieces, and her mask was scuffed. It looked like it had fallen onto something hard. Kaiya assumed she'd gone down. Hard. The Ghost probably left her for dead, and when Kaiya woke up she made her way to Iroh's house and passed back out.

"Ah, you're awake. Good," Iroh said from the doorway.

"Oh," Kaiya said, sitting up, thinking that now was the time to explain what the hell was going on.

"Now, listen. I'm not your father. I'm not your uncle. You have no obligation to explain anything to me. Except that I saved your life last night by finding you on my porch," Iroh paused. "But I'm going to give you a free pass. This time you do not have to explain anything. In fact, I don't want you to explain anything. Next time, however, Kaiya, I expect you to tell me everything. Everything. Do you understand?"

"I don't think there will be a next time, Uncle Iroh."

"Of course there will be, Kaiya. You're a Saito," Iroh said patiently. But he'd kept his part of the bargain. He'd asked her absolutely no questions and didn't even seem interested at all in the events that led him to finding Kaiya on his porch wearing a strange outfit. But then, he had his favorite tea, so he was probably distracted. Or high. Kaiya never knew what was in that tea, anyway.

_Present Day_

Kaiya pulled on her new Red Spirit outfit, knowing full well she was being an idiot this time. She kept telling herself that this was Ohio. Who would think a Red Spirit in Ohio was the same one as in California? No one. Especially since they probably thought she was dead.

Besides, she already had the mask. And if she bought a new one, they could trace the card. The last thing she needed was to get busted for theft.

Liberation. She was freeing the scroll. This was a rescue mission.

She didn't believe it either.

Her disguise complete, she made her way into Professor Lee's house, freezing the motion censors and picking the lock with a piece of ice.

It was a big place, a lot like her parents' house, actually. That's how she knew she was right. The Professor kept the scroll where he could admire it. Knowing what mansions were like, Kaiya found the study right away. And there, in a nice, shiny, easily breakable case, was a scroll.

Silently, Kaiya crept up close to it and looked at the side panels carefully. They were illustrations. And one of them looked like her water whip trick. Another looked like the flame-thrower technique the Ghost had used on her frequently. As if these weren't enough, a gold plaque at the bottom of the case read "The Legend of the Avatar and the Elemental Benders."

Behind her mask, Kaiya smiled. It was almost too easy.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" a sixty-something man yelled from behind her.

Kaiya sighed and turned quickly, throwing a sheet of water onto Professor Lee and freezing him to the spot. "Sorry about this, Professor," Kaiya told him. "But I need to borrow this awhile." With that she broke the glass and yanked out the scroll.

"Ah! Be careful with that! Do you know how old that is? You have no idea the find that was! How important it is! It redefines everything we know about ancient cultures!"

"Buddy, I'm a waterbender, do you really want to make me freeze your mouth shut?" Kaiya asked.

"A Waterbender?" The Professor blinked. "I was right! I knew I was right! It wasn't as old as everybody said! Pre-Christian, certainly, but not cavemen trying to explain the reason for the elements! You are the key to unlocking the …"

Kaiya threw a piece of ice over his mouth. "Sorry, Professor. I've got somebody waiting at home for me. You understand. We'll talk more about this later, mmkay?"

The alarms started going off, and it was running time. But escaping had always been something Kaiya was good at.

*****

"What the hell did you do?" Hotaru screamed at her when Kaiya showed her the scroll. "Do you have any idea? Oh my God, Kaiya! What were you thinking! You could have been caught! You could have been killed! Kaiya! This was so stupid, Kaiya!"

"I suppose you don't want to see it, then?" Kaiya asked, holding the scroll out to her. "No. Well, I guess I'll just have to go back to Professor Lee's and give it back. Really, I think he'll be quite forgiving, once I unfreeze him."

"You didn't!"

"And maybe he can retranslate it for me and figure out what all the little symbols are. Of course, he is getting old, and his eyesight might be a little tricky. So, he might get things wrong. I mean, if there's a sure fire way to control, say, firebending, and he translates it wrong, well, I guess the fire fighters are trained for something, right?"

Hotaru glared at her roommate. She was being manipulated. And she knew it. But she couldn't do anything about it. Except yank the scroll away from Kaiya, which she did. "I didn't say I wouldn't help now that you've done something stupid. Just saying it was stupid."

"Incredibly. I agree. But that's what I'm good at," Kaiya said brightly.

Hotaru took a deep breath, wondering if she would regret encouraging the crazy person.

*****

"You told me the Red Spirit was dead!" Wei screamed at Zakk.

"I thought she was." Zakk did not meet Wei's eyes.

"You will fix your mistake! You are going to track the Red Spirit! Find out who she is once and for all! And when you find her, you will end her, do you understand?"

Zakk looked Wei in the eye. "I know what I have to do, Father."

An hour later, one of the compound's guards ran into Wei's private room. "Sir! Zakk Foco has gone missing! This is all he left," the guard handed Wei the Ghost's mask. "We've searched everywhere, Sir. What do you want us to do now?"

Wei's eye twitched. "Find me another Firebender. Hotaru Jia."


	6. Chapter 6: Opening Night

Chapter Six: Opening Night

"The Avatar is reborn in a cycle," Hotaru read from her notebook. Two hours and that was the only thing she had gotten from the scroll. At least now she thought she had the right book, one on ancient symbols that looked like it had never been checked out of the library. "Shit!" Hotaru muttered, realizing she barely had enough time to get back to the room and change before the play that night. It was opening night, and Kaiya would have her head if she didn't show up.

"_You're my family tonight, okay? You're gonna be right there in the front and be clapping for me even if I forget all my lines, right?"_

Hotaru had never seen Kaiya so nervous. She quickly checked the book out and ran back up the hill to the dorm room. She figured she had just enough time to change into something somewhat nice for Kaiya. After all, Kaiya spent most of the night in her underwear. The least Hotaru could do was dress nice enough for the both of them.

When she got to the room, Hotaru's plans were obliterated. The room was trashed. And not the Kaiya-Saito-lives-here kind of trashed. Like someone had ransacked their room. The contents of all the drawers were scattered across the floor, but one item seemed to be front and center. Kaiya's mask lay in the middle of the room, in clear view. "Shit," Hotaru whispered, realizing what this probably meant.

So much for a nice, normal college life.

*****

"Pull the shades!" Kaiya yelled with her costars. The curtain went down. The applause erupted. The curtain went up, and Kaiya bowed with her friends. She couldn't stop smiling. This was the greatest she had felt in a very long time. Nothing could bring her down. Washi grabbed hold of her hand as they bowed again. The curtain went down, Washi threw his glasses onto the couch, took Kaiya's face in his hands, and kissed her. The applause continued, and the curtain went up again. Washi let go as they all took another bow. Kaiya was frozen in place for a moment, taken by surprise.

Then she saw the man in all black off stage. The man with the really big gun. The man who was looking right at her.

Kaiya ran off the stage in the opposite direction, hoping she would lose the government guy in the maze that was the theater department. Quickly, she grabbed her clothes out of the dressing room and pulled them on as she went, trying to come up with a good escape route.

She hadn't gone ten steps out of the green room before she ran smack into Washi.

Washi scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh, listen, Kaiya, I just want to apologize, you know, for that," the indicated the direction of the stage with his thumb. "Uh, friends?" He held out his hand. It was lame. He knew this.

"Washi, look, I really don't have time right now to…" Kaiya started, she looked around for an easy way out of this situation, but only saw a leaky water fountain.

"It was just the, you know, all the excitement. Opening night, you know. And we totally rocked together, and it was just. It seemed like a good idea at the time, you know?" Washi was avoiding her eyes.

Kaiya pushed Washi aside as an Elite agent came up behind him in the hallway. She threw a wave of water at the guy, pushing him all the way to the end of the hall. She froze him there, just in case he had any ideas about escaping.

"Really, Washi, I mean it. I don't have time for this," Kaiya said again, as she took off running for an exit.

Washi blinked. He looked from the frozen man in black back to the spot where Kaiya had been two seconds before. "What do you think I should do?" he asked the frozen guy, who didn't answer. "I probably wouldn't have listened to you anyway," he said, taking off after Kaiya.

Kaiya was freezing the fire alarm on an exit door when Washi caught up with her. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked him. "Go back and, and I don't know, celebrate opening night or something!"

"I can't go back," Washi said defensively.

"Yes, you can. You don't have to get involved in this."

"What is this, any way? And, how are you going to get out of it?" Washi asked. "Have a plan beyond getting out of the building? How are you going to get off campus? You don't have a car, Kaiya."

"I'll figure something out."

"Let me help you," Washi pleaded. Kaiya got the door open, silently, and bolted. Washi ran after her.

Kaiya skidded to a halt as three Elite agents drew nearer.

"Surrender, Miss Saito. Know when you are beaten."

Kaiya rolled her eyes. "And what exactly in our experiences together makes you think that's my specialty?" she asked. She wasn't sure how she was going to do this, but she was not going to surrender.

Before Kaiya could make up her mind to do anything, a ribbon of fire knocked the three Elite agents backwards. "Kaiya!" Hotaru yelled, running up to her.

"Hotaru! You did it!" Kaiya yelled back, jumping up and down for her friend's triumph.

"Oh, stop that, you stupid waterbender!" Hotaru ordered. "We have to get out of here. They know who you are."

"Well, yeah, I knew that."

"No, Red, they know who you are!" Hotaru said, pulling out the Red Spirit mask. "They found it! We have to find a way to get out of here."

A van screeched to a halt behind Hotaru. From behind the wheel, Washi asked, "You want my help now?"

"Isn't that the guy you were making out with behind the curtain?" Hotaru asked.

"We weren't making out. And we're not going with you, Washi. You can't put yourself in this kind of danger!"

"And what about you, Kaiya?"

"Washi, you don't know what's going on here!"

"Yeah, and I don't care, either, so get the hell into the van!" Washi yelled back.

Hotaru made the decision for her, running to the van before Kaiya could think of a way to convince Washi how stupid he was being. All in, Washi flew down the road, until he saw the road block at the bottom of the hill. It was ditch, lake, or stop. He chose stop.

"U-Turn!" Kaiya yelled, throwing open the back door. She jumped out, and thankfully Washi was turning around without arguing with her. She took a deep breath and lifted the water out of the lake, throwing it on the crowd of elites before they could react. She threw them all halfway up the next hill before freezing them to the road. She took more water and covered the road in a sheet of black ice so they wouldn't be able to follow for a while. By this time, Washi was turned around, and the door was still open, waiting for her to jump back in.

"Okay," Kaiya said, slamming the door back closed.

"Where to?" Washi asked slamming on the gas. "Besides away?"

Hotaru looked at Kaiya.

"Hey, you're the one who forced me to get into the van. You figure out the next step to the plan."

"And, when we get there," Washi said, "You know, wherever it is we're going, could we possibly discuss how you just drained the campus lake?"

*****

"Kaiya Saito is a waterbender?" Wei asked. He'd sent his men after a new recruit, and they'd come back with the identity of the Red Spirit. The General would not be pleased. The Saitos could certainly never find out. This was a disaster.

"Yes, sir, and a really excellent one, I have to say," the team leader admitted.

Wei glared at him. "And you let her slip through your fingers."

"With all due respect, sir, we were expecting a firebender. We were expecting to have to battle a supernova when we tried to take Hotaru Jia. We were not expecting flooding. And ice. And being frozen to walls and roads. Sir, she threw a lake at us. A whole damn lake."

Wei rolled his eyes. "I thought they trained you people to be prepared for anything."

The team leader took a deep breath, wondering to himself if Wei had heard the part about the lake. Being thrown at him. Wei should have been grateful his team had survived. Water was a little more forgiving than fire.

Wei thought for a few moments. How old was Kaiya Saito? Eighteen. Zakk's age. In fact, Kaiya was older by a few months. "She's the oldest bender we've ever seen."

"Sir?" The team leader was now confused. Wei's anger had apparently disappeared.

"She's the oldest. Get Mike Chan in here now!"

*****

"You think Kaiya Saito is the Avatar?" Mike asked. "Just because she's the oldest bender you've ever seen?"

"It would mean she was the first. It would mean she is the Avatar."

"You have no proof," Mike laughed. "I mean, you don't even have the second scroll. Or the first one, for that matter."

"The first scroll is useless," Wei waved off the idea. "But think of it, Chan. The daughter of our most loyal supporters turning out to be the Avatar." Now Wei laughed. "How perfect! We could easily manipulate her into being the kind of Avatar we want her to be. Her parents believe enough in our work to let us do it."

"If she's the Avatar," Mike stated. The situation was becoming more serious than Mike liked. "If she's just a waterbender, her parents would want her left alone. I mean, how much good is a waterbender? In a fight, I mean. Fire is much more powerful. You have always said."

"Can a firebender throw a lake and leave all the opponents alive?" Wei asked. "And how many waterbenders can even do that, do you think? That kind of power has to be linked to something bigger. I want Kaiya Saito brought in immediately. Take any force necessary."

"The Saitos are not going to like this," Mike warned.

"The search for the Avatar is more important than anything, Chan. Besides, I just want to have a little chat with her. I think it's time I met the blue dragon."


	7. Chapter 7: Safe

Chapter Seven: Safe

Until Kaiya woke up in the back of Washi's van, she could have sword the events of the night before had been nothing but a bad dream. She stirred and looked around, taking in as many details as she could. They were on a dirt road through the woods. The kind of place a horror movie was set in. Hotaru had crawled to the front passenger seat and was giving Washi directions. Washi, although he looked tired, did not give any indication that he was panicking yet.

Kaiya blinked and rubbed her eyes. Washi wasn't wearing glasses. She realized they had been just for the play and felt like an idiot for not noticing sooner. Personally, she blamed the men with guns.

"Slow down!" Hotaru yelped as the van hit a hole in the road. "Do you want to wake up Kaiya?"

"Kaiya's awake already," Kaiya muttered from the back. "Where are we going? Does it involve banjos?" Kaiya asked a moment later when she had Hotaru's full attention.

"My family has a cabin near here," Hotaru explained.

"Yeah, near here. Somewhere around here. Yes, she's sure of it this time. This is the dirt road that leads to the cabin in the middle of nowhere. Or is it this one? I know, turn around and go back for the twentieth time. We'll find it this time. Of course I know where I'm going," Washi grumbled from the driver's seat.

"We just have to find it," Hotaru finished.

"And hope they have a soft couch," Washi added.

"Washi, did you drive all night?"

Washi did not feel this needed an answer. He was trying not to think about it.

"Stop!" Hotaru yelled.

Washi slammed on the brakes and everyone jerked forward.

"What the hell, Hotaru?" Kaiya said, holding her forehead, which had slammed into Washi's seat.

"We're here!" Hotaru said, pointing out the window.

The cabin was tiny, not what Kaiya expected from Hotaru's family. Hotaru's family was only slightly below Kaiya's on the rich scale. Kaiya's parents wouldn't have used this cabin as a shed. It was also trying to fall down and looked like no one had been there in twenty years.

Kaiya raised an eyebrow at Hotaru.

"What? We'll be safe here. I thought that was the idea of a safe house," Hotaru got out of the car.

Kaiya had no choice but to follow her. It's not like she had a better plan, anyway. When she stepped into the cabin, she was pleasantly surprised by the accommodations. It looked far better on the inside. There was a working kitchen, a couple of couches in the little living room, a nice bathroom. And, what's more, the kitchen actually had food in it.

"Call ahead for reservations, did you?" Washi asked, stepping up behind Kaiya.

Hotaru blinked. "I guess one of the cousins must have wanted to use it?" She looked at the other two. "Look, let's just be grateful, okay?"

"I'm with Hotaru," Kaiya said. "Let's take it and run."

"I thought we were done running?" Washi asked. Then he noticed the case of soda on the counter. "Caffeine!" He pounced.

"Um, Washi?" Kaiya asked a while a later when they'd settled a bit and had something to eat. "Don't you want to talk about what happened last night?"

Washi blinked. "Now that you mention it, I am curious as to who the hell those guys were and why they were after you and your roommate."

"They're Elites, aren't they?" Hotaru asked. Kaiya had told her all about the Red Spirit.

"Yes. A group within the government that takes benders and makes them weapons. Mostly when they're kids."

"Benders." Washi nodded. "So that's what you two are. And there are others like you being held against their will by our government?"

"Yeah," Kaiya said. "They're really bad guys, Washi. We would understand if you decided to leave. You know, get out while you can. Hell, I want you to run. They'll catch up to me and Hotaru eventually, but you could slip through the cracks. They wouldn't be interested in you."

Washi didn't know whether to be grateful Kaiya was trying to protect him or to be offended. Why wouldn't they want Washi? Wasn't Washi good enough to be taken hostage?

Hotaru raised an index finger, "Um, actually, Kaiya, they might not let him slip through the cracks."

"Why not? He's not connected to this. I mean, not yet. All he did was drive a van. He could say I forced him somehow. Like, I don't know, I bent the water in his body and made him drive the van."

Washi's eyes grew wide. "You can do that? That's so wicked!"

Kaiya blinked, "Well, no, but … I was just saying the craziest thing I could think of. Knowing those crazies, they'd believe it."

Hotaru shook her head, "No, that's not going to work. Because they were at the theater, guys." She looked from Washi to Kaiya, neither of whom seemed to get it. "You guys kissed on stage. They saw you. And, people who aren't involved don't kiss like that," Hotaru stated.

Washi smiled, despite the seriousness of the situation. That's right. Washi was good enough to kidnap.

*****

"I don't get it! Just, throw some fire at me!" Kaiya yelled across the clearing. They'd found the perfect spot to practice some bending so as to be ready for the Elites when they found them again, but now Hotaru was having difficulty. "You don't have to worry about preventing forest fires! I'm sure Smokey would understand!"

"Besides, you got Kaiya!" Washi said from behind Hotaru. He'd wanted to watch, but Hotaru wouldn't let him unless he was behind her. "So, go ahead, Flamethrower!"

Hotaru took a deep breath, "I just can't!"

"But you did before!"

"Yeah, but I don't know how!" Hotaru yelled. "I mean, I just did it. You were in danger and I just reacted."

"So something in you knows how to do this," Washi tried. "You just have to, you know, find that part of yourself." He shrugged. "I sound like my dad trying to teach me math."

Hotaru turned and gave Washi a questioning look.

"He's an accountant," Washi explained.

"Hotaru, okay, I have a different approach!" Kaiya yelled. As soon as Hotaru turned back towards her, Kaiya threw an icicle at her head.

"Ahh!" Hotaru screamed, ducking. The icicle flew past her and stabbed a defenseless tree. "What did you do that for?"

"Trying to see if you're the chosen one?" Washi asked.

"I wanted to get you to react with fire! Not this ducking crap!" Kaiya yelled back.

"No one gets the original Buffy reference, then?" Washi asked.

"You want me to react with fire?" Hotaru yelled. "You want me to get so mad that I throw flames at you again?"

"No, well, yeah, that would work, too!" Kaiya yelled back.

"Garr!" Hotaru yelled in agitation. "You don't get it! You'll never get it! That's not how I want to control my power." Hotaru sighed heavily. "I'm going back to the cabin."

"To read?" Kaiya asked mockingly.

Hotaru threw a glare at her. "Yes, Kaiya, to read. To read the scroll that you took from Professor Lee. Which probably got us caught, by the way. So, yes, I'm going to read and maybe put your stupidity to some good use." With that Hotaru stomped off into the woods.

Kaiya sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "I just wanted to help," she said helplessly.

*****

"I've got some bad news," Hotaru said after dinner that night. "We don't have the whole story." She held up the scroll. "There's another one. A part two."

Kaiya blinked. "So we can't find the Avatar with the information in the scroll?"

"The Avi-what?" Washi asked from the loveseat he and Kaiya shared.

"The Avatar, the one who's supposed to bring balance to the world. We figured if we could find him, he'd help us," Kaiya explained.

Hotaru shook her head. "There's all this stuff about the different benders and what the Avatar is, but there isn't anything that says how to find him, or what kind of bender he starts out as, or when he's born or anything that could help us find him. There's another part, it says. 'The history and future of the Avatar,'" Hotaru read from her notes. She shrugged. "I guess that idea's done."

Kaiya took a deep breath, thinking Hotaru always gave up too easily. She waited for the others to go to bed before sneaking out of the cabin. She wasn't ten yards away from the cabin when Washi came running up to her. "Washi, go back to bed."

"Yeah, sure, when you tell me where the hell you're going," Washi answered.

Kaiya turned on him and looked him in the eye. "You know where. And you know why. The Avatar is the only one who can help us, Washi. I have to find him."

Washi shook his head. "This is crazy, Kaiya. Crazy. Where do you think the other scroll even is?"

"Professor Lee will know. I got that vibe from him. Even after I attacked him, he was excited about my powers," Kaiya smiled. "He'll help."

Washi sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this argument. "Just be careful, Kaiya. And, you know, come back." Kaiya nodded and turned and kept walking the way she'd been going. "Please come back," Washi whispered before she disappeared into the night.

*****

It was the best morning Wei had had in weeks. There was even a bounce in his step as he entered the newly occupied cell. He smiled at the young woman chained to the wall. "Welcome, Kaiya Saito," he said. "I've been waiting a long time for this interview." He couldn't help but chuckle.

Though it was an entirely inappropriate time for being a smartass, Kaiya rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you've been waiting a whole three days. Nice job, by the way."


	8. Chapter 8: The Journal of Kaiya Saito

Chapter Eight: The Journal of Kaiya Saito

_So, journal, I think maybe Senior year won't suck as much as I originally thought. Sure, Hahn is still off at college and forgetting all about his little cousin, and my parents are still lousy, and I am still pretty much the same art nerd that I've always been. But now there's someone who doesn't seem to mind so much. _

_Zakk Foco is his name. He's roughly my age, taller, more muscular and macho, of course, being a guy. He's got shoulder-length, straight-ish black hair that kind of goes everywhere if he's not paying attention that day. Brown eyes, nice hands. He's an artist. He likes to draw dragons._

_Finally someone has brought Mr. Jay's attention away from me and my moon fairies and moon goddesses and moon nymphs and moon everything. "Oh, great, Foco, a green dragon this time. Wonderful. Good job," was the sarcastic remark of the day._

_Anyway, he's also, like the nicest guy ever! I did as always and talked way too much when I first met him. I mean, duh, he's hot. I mean, like, the guy's on fire, that hot. And I was nervous, you know. You would be too if, at what would appear to be THE opportune moment of your life, a particularly fine and compatible guy arrived in your life. Anyway, Zakk just started talking to me. Then we were talking about XMen and the rumored Wolverine movie (Oh, my God, by the way, Gambit could finally show up!) and then it was like we'd known each other for years._

_Mr. Jay was not pleased, by the way. I think I even heard him mutter, "Oh, God, now there's two of them."_

_But that could have totally been my imagination._

_Anyway, journal, he has asked me to Homecoming, and I am so thrilled! I mean, this will be the first Homecoming ever that I've had a date to. I always went, mind you, just never with a guy who wasn't related to me. Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't tell Zakk that. Could be something he doesn't need to know._

Zakk smiled as he flipped the page in the journal. He was sitting in a particularly awful hotel room in a bizarre town in the middle of nowhere. He didn't know where he was going to go yet, but he would figure that out later. Sometimes he found it difficult to understand how his life had turned out like this. Wei had taken him in when he was just a kid. He'd trained him and made him think he cared for him like a son. But he was just using him. And it would never matter what Zakk wanted to do with his life. Zakk's feelings would never be taken into account.

He owed everything to Kaiya. He'd been sent to protect her, to get close to her. "Befriend her, that will help," Wei had ordered. Before Zakk knew it, she was teaching him how to swim, ignoring the burn scars on his chest, and asking him what he wanted to do with his life. She'd shown him what it was to be a normal teenager. To go to dances, watch television, avoid homework.

It wasn't any wonder to Zakk that he'd fallen for her. Who wouldn't fall for Kaiya Saito?

He found another favorite entry and started reading again.

_Journal, I think I should probably tell Zakk. I'm scared, sure, but I feel like I'm lying to him by not telling him who I really am. Maybe he'd think it was cool, you know? Like Hahn first said. "Wicked." But, you know, in a good way. Equivalent to awesome. Not the other thing. _

_And, with how close we're getting, if I don't tell him soon, it's going to be really hard to tell him ever. _

_My parents left town again Friday, and so I invited Zakk over to see the Museum. He was surprised by how big it was, how nice, and he asked me if I actually lived there. I punched him in the arm, because I knew he meant that it looked far too clean for me to be a resident. He was also surprised by how much I hate it in this house._

_Well, I showed him my room, and we started making out. This is becoming quite the habit for us. Blame the teenage hormones. Well, it was a little different this time, what with us being completely alone and all that. And, the bed didn't really help much. What I mean is, it was a lot more intense than the other times. I swear there was steam rising from us. Which I'm pretty sure is on account of me and the water mutant thing. Thankfully, one of us was still thinking a bit, and Zakk pulled us back. _

"_I think I should probably go now," Zakk said, still sitting on my bed, mind you._

"_You don't have to," I told him, not really meeting his eyes._

_He touched my cheek and said, "Yeah, I think I do." Before he left he told me he was falling in love with me and that he didn't want to ruin it. _

_Now, a guy as sweet as that, how can I not tell him about my secret? I'm sure he'd tell me!_

Zakk sighed. He remembered that night. How could he forget it? He'd felt the fire rising within him. He couldn't let himself lose control, so he'd stopped. If he could have gotten away from Wei, he would have told Kaiya everything. All about him burning down his parents' house when he was a kid, being taken and trained by Wei, the orders to protect her. He would have even told her about the Red Spirit and about how dangerous it was to be related to the Saitos. But he'd known he would never get away from Wei, especially with Kaiya Saito.

Zakk knew how the story ended, so he threw the journal back onto the bed. During his final fight with the Red Spirit, Kaiya's mask had flown off. Zakk panicked. A million things that had not made sense before were suddenly clear in his head. Right down to what he had to do next. He took Kaiya to Uncle Iroh, who had always seemed to like Zakk, though he seemed to know more about Zakk than he was letting on.

Iroh caught him leaving Kaiya on the porch, "A hospital might be better."

"They'd find her in a hospital. Please, just help her," Zakk pleaded. He didn't even realize he wasn't wearing his mask until he got back to the compound.

Zakk told Wei the Red Spirit was dead and that Kaiya Saito would no longer be needing his protection.

The next day Zakk went to Kaiya and told her that he was leaving, that their relationship was over. He was as cold as he could be. He shut down every emotion that he'd learned to feel and left her there, sitting on Keira Saito's back porch and staring at the ocean.

It was the only way to protect her. Zakk couldn't be with her, and one day it would come out that he was the Ghost and she was the Red Spirit. He'd gone back to Wei and the Elites, vowing that he would never hurt Kaiya Saito again.

_I was going to tell him today. I love him, and I wanted him to know everything about me. I was going to tell him about Zan and Denix and the Ghost and everything. I was going to ask him to run away with me. And we could have gone anywhere in the world, and it would have been perfect. Because we'd know everything about each other, and there wouldn't be any secrets, and I could trust him and he could trust me. We were supposed to be the dragon couple. That's what everybody called us. We were going to be legendary, the red and blue dragons. Now, now we're nothing. I'm nothing._

Sometimes Zakk wished he could burn that journal, but he never could bring himself to do it. He'd saved it from the sand, and it was now the only piece of Kaiya he had left.

A knock came at his door, and Zakk jumped. He prepared a fireball in one hand as he opened the door a crack with the other.

"Zakk, I need to talk to you," Mike Chan said from just outside.

"I'm not coming back, Mike, and if anyone tries to make me, they're going to have a fight on their hands."

"I know what happened last year, Zakk. I know why you all of a sudden didn't want to see Kaiya Saito ever again. I understand why you left the compound. Let me in for a second, Zakk. No one knows I came here."

Zakk opened the door and extinguished his flame. "What do you want from me?"

Mike shook his head and started pacing. "He's gone too far now, Zakk. He's got her, and I can't stop him. No one can stop him." He stopped and looked at Zakk. "Except maybe you."

Zakk narrowed his eyes. "Who can I stop?"

"Wei. He's got Kaiya. And he's going to end up killing her if you don't stop him."

For a few seconds, Zakk only saw red. When he calmed down long enough to think, he saw that Mike had gone, probably back off to the compound before he could be missed. But he'd left a file on the bed. Cautiously, Zakk opened it.

The file contained a blueprint of the compound, complete with gas and water lines. It also contained everything the Elites knew about Kaiya Saito and the Red Spirit. There were also a few pages on Kaiya's companions. Hotaru Jia and Washi Long. They were marked as dangerous benders and were hence to be shot on sight. They were still at large. And they were going to help him free Kaiya.


	9. Chapter 9: The Elites

Chapter Nine: The Elites

"You know what I really hate? Hanging around doing nothing," Kaiya muttered. She was exhausted, starving, and severely wishing she had never learned how to waterbend, but she was not going to give up or give in to Wei's interrogation. She didn't know where he was going with it, but she wasn't going to give him what he wanted. Not that she knew what that was. Just that she wasn't going to give it to him.

Wei glared at her. He'd chained her to a wall for days, deprived her of food and water, beat her senseless, and still she hadn't reacted. He needed to see it, the Avatar State. "Prepare the blue room," Wei ordered.

Mike's attention, which had previously been on Kaiya and how he wanted to help her, snapped back to Wei. "Sir, this is madness. If she was going to do it, she would have already."

"Shut up, and get the blue room ready for her dose!" Wei screamed. "Now, little girl," he told Kaiya when Wei had left the room, "You are going give me what I want."

"How about a shower?" Kaiya asked. Before Wei could realize what was happening, she'd water-blasted a whole through the wall, frozen him to the floor, and freed herself from the chains. "You really shouldn't have put me directly in front of the water pipes," Kaiya told him, as she rose to her feet. "Oh, whoah," she muttered as she lost her balance and went down. She felt a foot make contact with her head, and then she felt nothing.

*****

A knock at the cabin door startled Washi so bad that he fell off the couch. He was sure the Elites had caught up with them and were going to fill him with holes. Then he remembered, if it was an Elite agent, he wouldn't have knocked. Washi wasn't sleeping very well, on account of Kaiya having been gone almost a week. His brain cells were beginning to deteriorate. Maybe it was Kaiya at the door! Washi leapt up from the floor and ran to open the door. "Man, am I glad to see… you?" Washi blinked. It wasn't Kaiya.

Zakk glared at him. He had hoped the geeky-looking kid attached to Washi Long's information had been a mistake. Messy brown hair and too skinny, this kid did not look like a dangerous bender. "Kaiya needs our help," Zakk told him before pushing past him into the cabin.

*****

When Kaiya awoke, the world was very blurry. She had been moved to a different room and lashed to a table. She tried to move her arms and legs, but couldn't.

"I always learn from my mistakes," Wei told her.

"_I've taught Zakk to learn from his own mistakes, Kaiya. That's what a good father does."_

"You're?" Kaiya started to ask, but her head hurt too much to get the words out. Besides, she didn't really need Wei's answer. She remembered now where she'd seen him.

"We're dosing you with something that should make you more cooperative. It may hurt. We're not quite sure what it will do to you. Some of our students react quite well to it," Wei explained. He thought of Zakk's dose several years before and the only time the traitor had created blue flames. "It raises the heartbeat, you see. Pumps adrenaline into your system. Puts you on overdrive, in short. That's why we needed to restrain you before the treatment. With someone like you, Kaiya, we really are in uncharted territory."

"Zakk's dad," she said, but Wei had already left.

A moment later, she felt the drugs enter her body. A cold unlike anything she'd ever felt moved through her blood. Then she was hot, burning, and she wondered if this was what Hotaru felt like when she lost control. The machines around her started beeping madly, and she was sure she was about to die.

The compound doctor rushed into the blue room and stuck a needle in Kaiya's arm before Wei could stop him. "You idiot!" he screamed at the doctor. "She was about to enter the Avatar State!"

"You were about to lose her completely, Wei. I forbid you from dosing her again." The doctor pointed menacingly at him. "So don't even try it." Wei growled in frustration as he stormed out of the blue room. "And remember, Wei, I'm the one who knows a dozen different ways to kill you without anyone knowing it was me. So, listen to me this time."

As he left the blue room, Wei ordered a guard to lock the doctor in a cell of his own. Mike was waiting for him outside the blue room. "Chan, set up a new interrogation room. And make sure this one is away from the waterlines."

*****

"How do you know all this stuff?" Washi asked after listening very carefully to Zakk Foco's information regarding a highly secret government compound and the procedures for interrogation of new "recruits."

"He's the Ghost," Hotaru answered calmly from across the table. She looked Zakk in the eye, "Aren't you?"

"Yes," Zakk answered. Kaiya would know the truth by the end of this mission, anyway. There was no sense hiding it from her friends.

"Wait. That means you're an Elite," Washi said, jumping up.

"I was. I'm not anymore," Zakk tried to explain. He shook his head. "Without my help, you've got no chance in getting in there and back out alive. None whatsoever. And Kaiya doesn't have time for you two to debate about trusting me. Now, how much training have you two done?"

They both looked at him.

"How much control do you have over your bending?" he rephrased.

Hotaru looked away, "I can light a candle. More stuff when I'm under stress, but I can't really control the big stuff."

"So, none, really. Well, the good news is, you won't be needing to control the fire once you start it. You'll just have to be able to run," Zakk told her.

Somehow, Hotaru did not find that at all comforting.

"What about you, Long?"

"Washi. It's Washi," he said. He hated his last name. With a passion. He wanted to curse whoever had given him that last name. "And, I just drive the van."

"What?"

"I'm not a bender," Washi said, starting to laugh. "Are you kidding? I mean, do I look like the super hero type?"

Zakk looked him over again. _Spidey before the bite, maybe. _"So, you're telling me you will be absolutely no help at all?"

Washi crossed his arms over his chest, defended, "I drive the van."

Zakk sighed and came up with a new plan. "Okay, our strategy will be simple. Get in. Get Kaiya. Get out."

"And don't die," Washi added.

Zakk nodded. "And don't die. Let's get started." Then he explained the plan. Which was Kaiya's kind of stupid. Zakk just hoped that, just this once, Kaiya's kind of stupid would actually work.

*****

"I heard a rumor, Wei," the General said over the speaker. "A very disturbing rumor."

"Didn't you learn anything from high school, General? Rumors have no weight."

"You didn't go to my high school. Where the rumors were always true," the General countered. "I have my information from several highly trustworthy sources, Wei. Are you holding Kaiya Saito against her will?"

"She is the Red Spirit, General."

"Then she is to be pardoned. The situation explained to her. You will put her in her own private quarters until her parents arrive at the compound to take her home. The Saitos are not going to be happy with you, Wei. This could very well be the end of you."

"I would, of course, offer her the best suite in the compound, General. But she escaped our custody before we even arrived here. Kaiya Saito is not here."

"Are you lying to me, Wei?"

Wei rolled his eyes at the phone. "Of course not, Sir."

"Be warned, Wei. Not all the men in your compound are yours," the General said just before he hung up.

Mike Chan entered Wei's office. "She's awake, Sir."

"How's her health?"

"She's, uh, started to sing, Sir," Mike said. "I think she may be losing her mind."

Wei raised an eyebrow. "That might help matters a bit."

*****

"What are they doing to her in there, Zakk?" Washi asked as he drove. He couldn't help being agitated and angry with himself for not doing more to stop her. Sure, Kaiya was the idiot who wanted to go see Professor Lee, but Washi was the idiot who just let her.

"I don't know," Zakk said. It could have been anything from brainwashing techniques to full out torture, depending on what it was Wei wanted from her.

"Don't you already have waterbenders in the Elites?"

Zakk shrugged. "Not really. A couple young ones, but Wei was always more interested in firebenders." Hotaru turned from the front seat and looked at him. "We're more destructive, you see. More like weapons. Water is a little less scary than fire."

"I don't know, man," Washi said. "Watching Kaiya drain that lake, that was scary."

Zakk nodded. "Yeah, but Kaiya's probably the best of her kind. I mean, I'm good, and I could barely beat her."

"Is that why Wei wants her? Because she's the best waterbender?" Hotaru asked.

"I have no idea," Zakk answered. "Could be that. Could be because she's the Red Spirit and really pissed him off by not disappearing. I just know this isn't going to be just some recruit for Wei. For him to take Kaiya _Saito_, he'd have to have a damn good reason."

"And why's that again?" Washi asked.

"Her parents sign his pay checks," Zakk simplified.

"They wouldn't be too happy with Wei if he kidnapped their little girl," Washi said, nodding.

"Unless," Hotaru said, remembering what Kaiya said about her parents, "They told him to."

"No, trust me," Zakk said. "As much as they ignore Kaiya they would never in a million years hand their heiress over to a lunatic like Wei."

"Well, she's at least got that going for her," Washi muttered as he refocused on driving as fast as he could without getting pulled over.


	10. Chapter 10: The Power of Dragons

Chapter Ten: The Power of Dragons

"Winter, spring, summer, and fall. Winter, spring, summer, and fall. Four seasons four loves. Four seasons four loves," Kaiya sang weakly, crumpled in a pile with her chains on the floor of her cell.

"She's been singing like that, Sir, for at least half an hour. It's something none of us have ever heard of," one of the guards observed.

"When I start to believe that means something, I'll let you know," Wei told him coldly as he entered Kaiya's cell. "Feeling a little less witty now, are we, Kaiya Saito?"

Kaiya stopped singing and looked up at Wei. "This is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drowned the whole world." At least she'd switched songs.

Wei tilted his head. "Of course it is." He turned back to the guard. "Tell them to bring me the paddles." The guard nodded. "It's time we found out who you are, Kaiya Saito. I am sorry about your head, however. I would have preferred your brain a little less soupy."

Kaiya blinked. The guard turned away for a moment. Concentrating as much as she still could, she spit at Wei. The droplet of precious liquid turned to an icicle as it flew threw the air and struck the side of Wei's face. "I don't think you want to meet the real me, Wei."

Wei put a hand to his cheek. Blood was running down his face and his neck. "You should not have done that, Kaiya."

Kaiya rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, people keep telling me that, and I just don't learn from my mistakes."

Wei hit her in the side of the head, and she went down again. She blinked away the blurred vision only to find Wei standing above her with electrical paddles in his hands. He hit her with them, and pain like she'd never felt surged through Kaiya's body.

"Do it!" Wei yelled. He hit her again. "You are the Avatar! I will prove it!" He hit her again and again. "Why aren't you reacting? You stupid girl!" He hit her a final time, then gave up, dropping the paddles. He drew his gun. "If you aren't the Avatar, you are of no use to me."

The ground shook beneath Wei's feet, and he took his eyes off Kaiya for a second. "Guards, check the earthbenders! Now!" he yelled. They ran off to do as he commanded, leaving him alone with the waterbender. When he turned back, Kaiya was standing upright, her chains on the ground. She looked as if one touch would send her crashing back down.

"You were sweating," she muttered weakly. In her hands she twirled a small stream of water, absent-mindedly.

Wei narrowed his eyes at her, and put the gun to her head. "You never were one to know when to give up."

"No, she wasn't," a cold voice agreed behind him. Wei turned slowly, and he had just enough time to register that it was Zakk behind him before a fireball was plunged into his face.

Zakk looked from Wei's body, to Kaiya, and wanted to kill the bastard all over again. Her clothes were all torn, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she was wobbling in her place. Not even five seconds after Wei went down, Kaiya passed out. Zakk gathered her up in his arms and made for the exit, hoping the other two were doing exactly what they had been told.

*****

"There was a reason he wanted us fighting this chick, right?" Washi yelled as he ran.

"Just make it upstairs already! This basement floor is dangerous!" A rock flew past Hotaru's head and into Washi's back. She slid to a halt to help him up, throwing what she hoped was a great masterpiece of firebending back at the little girl Zakk had told them to find.

"_She'll make a racket. That's what I'll need. Wei will think she's trying to escape, and he'll send guards after her."_

"Well, she is making noise," Washi muttered, getting to his feet.

"Is that all you got, firebender?" the girl yelled from the other end of the hall. Guards were lining up behind the earthbender, ready to shoot Hotaru and Washi. There was a moment of stillness, and Washi knew this was it.

Hotaru thought of her friend, somewhere in the compound, possibly dead by now. She thought of what these people were doing to her kind. They took children and turned them into weapons. This little earthbender, for instance, she could have had a normal life. They took that away from her.

"No," Hotaru said. "It isn't all I've got." Everything she'd been afraid to feel for nearly a decade, the anger, the ache, the depression, she let loose on the little earthbender and the Elite agents behind her.

Washi watched in amazement as Hotaru went supernova on the enemy. She was shooting flames from her mouth, her hands, her feet. And all of it was heading straight for the Elites. He was exceedingly grateful he was on her side. A wall of fire swept in front of them, and Washi had to shield his eyes from it. As suddenly as the attack had come on, it stopped, and Hotaru collapsed in a heap in front of him. The Elites were gone.

Looking down at Hotaru, Washi whispered, "Oh, dear." Now he had to carry her. There was a reason he'd chosen the theater as his extracurricular. Muscles were not his thing. "Okay, Washi, be the hero, not just the guy who drives the van," he told himself, lifting Hotaru unsteadily into his arms. Then he ran, as much as he could run holding Hotaru, toward the exit. Or, what he hoped was the exit.

By the time Washi made it out of the building, Zakk was already waiting at the van. "Thank God," Washi said as he put Hotaru in the back seat with Kaiya. "She's alive. Right?"

"Kaiya's alive. What happened to Hotaru?" Zakk asked, helping Washi, who looked like he was about to fall over himself.

"I'll explain on the way, let's go!" Washi yelled, closing the back and running around to the driver's side.

"I've got one more thing to do," Zakk told him, "Get the van started."

"What do you mean you've got one more thing to do?" Washi yelled.

"It's important!" Zakk yelled back, already on his way back inside the compound.

"What the hell is he going to do?" Washi asked the two unconscious girls in the back of his van.

*****

Zakk ran through the corridors looking for the right spot. When he found it, Mike was waiting for him. "You need to get out of here, Mike."

"I know it," Mike agreed. "You should have this," he said, holding a file out to Zakk.

"What is it?"

"Your file."

Zakk sighed. "I don't want it." He already knew what was in it.

"Someday you will," Mike said. "Someday might help you understand why this all happened to you."

"Then you keep it for me," Zakk told him. "Now, you really should get out of here."

Mike nodded and started running. Zakk threw a fireball into the control panel. It was a self-destruct unit that would blow the compound apart. Every Elite compound had one. It was for cases of extreme emergency, when the Elites were faced with exposure. Zakk thought it would keep them busy long enough for an escape that would last more than a couple of days.

Zakk cleared the building just after the first explosion. He launched himself into Washi's van and told him to drive.

"What the hell did you just…"

"Just drive!" Zakk yelled.

Washi knew better than to fight with a dragon and stepped on the gas. After a few miles back the way they came, Washi asked, "So, uh, human torch, where are we going? Any ideas?"

Zakk rolled his eyes. "I am not the human torch. Head west."

"How far west are we talking?" Washi snuck a glance at the girls in the back. "I think Kaiya needs a doctor."

"Kaiya needs her Uncle Iroh," Zakk countered. "He was her Aunt Keira's boyfriend for years. Last summer he moved out here. He lives in a little town called Jasmine. It's not too awful far. He'll help."

Washi nodded. "Okay, to Jasmine it is, then." An awkward silence descended. Washi didn't like silences much. Not when something this big was going down. Although, come to think of it, nothing this big had ever happened to Washi. "I, uh, just wanted to say, um," Washi stammered. "Thank you."

Zakk looked over at the guy. For the first time, Washi looked like an adult. Zakk had known Washi was two years older than him, but he hadn't really believed it until now. "I didn't do it for you," Zakk said honestly.

Washi shrugged. "Yeah, I knew that, but, well, Kaiya's passed out, and from what I gather, when she finds out how you came to be helping us, she's not going to be too thrilled with you. So, um, I just thought I'd, you know, say thanks on her behalf. Because you know she'll want to say it. She won't say it. But she'll want to."

Zakk narrowed his eyes. "How long have you known Kaiya?"

"Oh, about a month. But, you know, you get to know people pretty quick when you're working with them everyday," Washi chanced a glance at him. "So, uh, you two were, uh…"

"It was complicated," Zakk said. "I hope we can leave it at that." He looked in the back seat. "What color were the flames?"

"What flames?"

"When Hotaru went nuclear."

"I don't know. I had to cover my eyes. Why?" Washi asked.

"I'm good. You should realize that I'm not being arrogant. Wei chose me for his team because I was the best he'd ever seen. As good as I am, I think Hotaru might be even better."

"Yeah, she's amazing," Washi told him, "But she could really use a teacher. Someone with some tips? You know, another firebender to help her control her power."

"Are you seriously asking me to stick around when this is done to give Hotaru firebending lessons?"

Washi looked over at him. "Well, kind of."

Zakk shook his head. "She doesn't want me as a teacher. She needs to find her own way. A better way than I had."

"What do you mean?" Washi asked. "Isn't firebending, firebending?"

"I was trained to be a weapon, Washi. You really want Hotaru to learn from a weapon?" Zakk asked. Washi shook his head. "Get off the highway in half an hour. Exit one-thirty."


	11. Chapter 11: Uncle Iroh

Chapter Eleven: Uncle Iroh

Iroh sat at his desk, reading an email from Hahn. He was enjoying Germany, but he was worried about Kaiya. Iroh thought this was well-founded worry, but replied that everything was fine.

_Kaiya will find her own way, just like she always does. _

He did not want Hahn rushing back from Germany to try to track down Kaiya and make sure she wasn't doing anything stupid. Keeping Kaiya from doing something stupid was like trying to stop the tide from coming in. It just wouldn't work.

Iroh had just hit the send button on his reply to Hahn when there was a knock at his door.

Well, it was kind of a knock. It actually sounded like someone was kicking at his door.

"What can I … oh, dear," Iroh said when he opened the door and saw Zakk Foco with an unconscious Kaiya in his arms (Gee, that looked familiar) and another young man with another unconscious young woman in _his_ arms.

"We need your help," Zakk said, sliding past Iroh. Washi followed, not knowing what to do. Following Zakk's lead seemed safest.

"I can see that for myself, Zakk Foco. And you are?" Iroh asked the other young man. He would help strangers if he had to, but he really preferred knowing people's names, at least.

"Washi Long. A friend of Kaiya's. And this is Hotaru Jia. Her, uh, roommate," Washi stammered. The older man looked friendly, almost jolly, but Washi had the suspicion that it was a fine line between jolly Uncle Iroh and Kick-your-ass-into-next-week Iroh.

Iroh studied Washi for a moment before saying to Zakk, "Bathroom is to the left just there. Put Kaiya in the bathtub and fill it halfway with water." He then turned to Washi. "There's a guestroom down the hall, you can put Hotaru there." Washi nodded and headed off in the indicated direction. When the other young man was out of range, Iroh followed Zakk into the bathroom, cornering the young man. "I want answers this time, Zakk. Now. What happened?"

Zakk gently put Kaiya into the bathtub, not quite sure why Iroh thought it would help. Turning on the water, he answered, "They caught her, and I got her out. That's it. She doesn't even know it was me."

"You never think things through. Neither of you!" Iroh yelled, indicating Kaiya. "And then you come to me. How did you find me, anyhow?"

Zakk avoided his gaze. "You're, uh, not that hard to track, Iroh."

"Meaning you used the Elites to find me. That is perfect. Now I have to move again."

"No, we just have to leave before they regroup. Should be a couple of days." Zakk stopped the water. "What is this going to do for her, anyway?"

"It worked last time. You brought her to me half dead, I ran some cold water on her face, and a few scratched healed." Iroh shrugged. "It must have something to do with her powers."

"How much about that world do you know?" Zakk asked.

"Not nearly as much as I am going to know as soon as Kaiya wakes up." Iroh left Zakk guarding Kaiya and went into the guestroom. "Now, Washi Long, what happened to Kaiya's roommate, and which one of them brought her into this mess?"

Washi blinked. "Well, I think Hotaru got into it on her own accord. She's a firebender."

Iroh sighed. What should he do with her? Through her in the fireplace? That hardly seemed logical. "What exactly happened?"

Washi shrugged. "She just kinda went nuclear and then went down."

"Had she ever displayed her powers like that before?" Iroh asked, assuming he knew what Washi meant.

"I don't think so. The only firebending she's ever done has either been really tiny or really on accident. With Hotaru, she's all about control. And if she can't control something, she doesn't do it. But, I don't know, man. I just met her like a week ago."

Iroh thought a minute. "Keep an eye on her. If she develops a fever, come get me immediately."

Washi was nodding when he heard a crash and a scream. Iroh grimaced as he realized he'd willingly taken two dueling dragons into his home.

*****

"You tried to kill me!" Kaiya yelled, as she threw a wave of water at Zakk. He shielded himself with a smallish wall of flame, not big enough to do anything else but evaporate the water.

"Kaiya, I just saved your life!" he yelled in return as he backed out of the bathroom.

"What happened?" Washi yelled from the end of the hall.

"She woke up! First she was glowing, and then she just woke up!" Zakk yelled back. "And then she attacked me." As he finished talking, Kaiya threw another wave at him, knocking him against the wall. "Like that," Zakk added from the ground.

"You are a firebender! All this time! You, you, rat bastard!" Kaiya screamed. She pulled up a water whip and flung it at Zakk.

Zakk ducked and decided running was his best option under the circumstances. Iroh watched in mild amusement as Kaiya chased Zakk out of the house.

"Should we maybe help him?" Washi asked.

"Nah. He deserves it a little. Besides, Kaiya will soon run out of steam, as it were." Washi nodded and watched the fight from the window.

It was obvious the two had fought each other before. Zakk blocked all of Kaiya's attacks with ease, a fact which frustrated Kaiya even more. "I can't believe this!" Kaiya screamed. "It was you the whole time! And you, you," Kaiya stopped throwing water and Zakk. He looked up at her in surprise. Kaiya continued in a whisper. "You killed your dad." She slumped to the ground, exhausted. Zakk made a move to help her, but she yelled for him to get away. She made her way slowly on her own back into Iroh's house.

"He wasn't my dad," Zakk said as she went. He didn't think she'd heard him.

"Feeling better now, Kaiya?" Iroh asked as she entered the house. She nodded. "Your friend is in the guestroom. Perhaps you want to sit with her?" She nodded again and walked off.

Hotaru didn't look good. More pale than usual, and kind of small in the guest bed, Hotaru was out cold. At least she was breathing. At least Kaiya hadn't gotten someone killed. Kaiya went in and sat down in an armchair near the bed. All she'd wanted was answers. Why did that never work out the way she planned? Kaiya's head hurt, and details were a bit fuzzy regarding the last few days. She didn't know how they'd all gotten here, but she had the funny feeling that it was because of Zakk. She didn't understand it, and it hurt more to think about it. She'd ask Iroh later. Iroh would want his own answers soon, and Kaiya would have to explain all this. How was she supposed to do that?

*****

Half an hour ago, Washi had said the words, "Let me start at the beginning," and he'd been talking Iroh's ear off ever since. "So then Zakk showed up, and I didn't trust him at first, no offense…"

"None taken," Zakk offered from the other end of the kitchen, where he was busy sulking.

"… And he got us into the compound, and then Hotaru blew up the basement, and Zakk blew up the rest of the compound, but first he got Kaiya away from Wei and back to Sheila."

"Sheila?" Iroh and Zakk asked at the same time.

"My van. I call her Sheila." Washi blinked. "And then, we drove here. But I don't know what we're going to do now. I'm just the guy with the van. Hotaru's the smart one. Zakk's the tough one. Kaiya's the one always getting into trouble. Can I have some more tea please?"

Iroh refilled his glass, wondering if that was really such a good idea. At least he was finished with his story. Iroh offered a reassuring smile, "Well, you may stay here until Hotaru is better. Any ideas on that front, Zakk?"

"She's probably just tired. What she did took a lot of energy." Zakk lowered his eyes. "I'm leaving before morning," he said.

"I know you don't want to teach Hotaru firebending, and there's a history with you and Kaiya, but, well, we could really use your help if the Elites show up again. Which, I'm pretty sure they will. You know, 'cause we blew up their compound."

Zakk shook his head. "No, _I_ blew up their compound. Revenge will be the first thing on their mind. I'll lead them away from you. Make sure your trail goes cold before they can follow you."

"Zakk is right. They will be more interested in the traitor than a few teenagers."

"I'm not a teenager," Washi said defensively.

Iroh shrugged. "You know what I mean. Besides, if he comes along, Kaiya will kill him."

Washi nodded. "Yeah, she does seem to hate his guts."

"Thanks, man."

"Hey, I'm just being honest," Washi muttered. "But, where does that leave _us_? How are we going to get clear of this? Will moving to Canada help? I've always wanted to go to Canada. You know, for the beer. And the Falls. And whatnot."

"We'll discuss it all with Kaiya in the morning. I have a few tips that should help you stay invisible."

"So, what, are you going to send us into witness protection or something? Who do you work for anyway?" Washi asked.

"In the morning, Washi Long." After sending Zakk and Washi into the living room, Iroh retreated to his office and sent another quick email.

_Come back. Something has happened, and the White Lotus will want someone with Kaiya and her friends from now on. I think it should be you. I will explain everything when you get here. Come as quickly as you can. ~Iroh_


	12. Chapter 12: New Strategy

Chapter Twelve: New Strategy – Don't Get Caught

"What happened?" Hotaru whispered as she awoke in the very strange bed. "Did we get caught?" Everything was very blurry. She did remember a very annoying little earthbender.

"Hotaru!" Kaiya yelped, jumping out of the armchair where she'd dozed off the night before. "You're awake! Are you all right? What hurts? Tell me what hurts!" Kaiya yelled inches from her friend's face, having climbed up on the bed with Hotaru.

"Agh! Get off me!" Hotaru said, pushing Kaiya away. "I'm fine. I'm … Kaiya, what the hell happened to you?" she asked, noticing Kaiya's torn clothing and the dark circles under her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, well, the Elites gave me a very warm welcome," Kaiya muttered, shuddering.

"I thought I heard you two talking," Washi said from the doorway. "How's it going, Hotaru?"

"I feel like I missed something," Hotaru answered. "What have you got there?"

"New clothes for you and Kaiya. Courtesy of Iroh's closet." He threw a shirt and sweatpants to each girl.

"Oh, wonderful!" Kaiya said, regarding the Hawaiian print. "I can become a pilot now."

Hotaru laughed. "So, what's our plan now that we apparently got Kaiya out?" she asked Washi.

Washi straightened, putting an index finger in the air, as if it would help make his point. "We have ourselves a new strategy, benders. Don't. Get. Caught."

*****

"What do you mean, it was Zakk Foco?" the General growled over Mike's cell phone.

Mike Chan sighed. He knew this was going to be a tough call. It didn't help that he was in a crowded café making it. "Just as I stated. Zakk had never been happy in the compound. Since last spring he had been acting, let us say, unstable. Slightly rebellious attitude that Wei thought he would grow out of. It was because of Kaiya Saito, Sir. He found out the truth and chose protecting Kaiya over serving Wei."

There was a moment of silence as the General considered this information. "He chose correctly. Wei was a threat to the operation. But he must be punished for destroying the compound. When will our agents be ready to go on the hunt?"

"That's just it, Sir, not many of our agents got out. In fact, only those who were in the basement with Tong Fa survived."

"And, of course, you." The General's voice was not judging. Merely observing.

"Zakk always liked me. He warned me what he was going to do. I was unarmed, had no way of stopping him. I am afraid I ran, Sir," Mike explained anyway.

"You know when to cut your losses, Chan. We need someone who thinks realistically to head the new compound. You know where our priorities lie. How would you like to step up in the world, Chan?"

"General," Mike started, surprised, "I don't, I mean, I never wanted. Sir, with all due respect, I saw what this job did to Wei. He lost his mind looking for the Avatar. I do not want that to happen to me."

"You are a different man, Chan. You have a choice to make. I suggest you take your time in making it."

The line went dead. Mike took a breath. If he refused the job offer, would the General let him walk away? With everything Mike knew, he kind of doubted that. A waitress slid by and handed Mike an envelope, "Someone asked me to give you this, hun." Mike nodded at her and looked the envelope over. It had a seal on the back that looked like a lotus. He hands started shaking so badly that he nearly dropped the envelope.

When he was finally able to open it, a note card slid out of the envelope and into his hand.

_Choose Good._

Great. Now two organizations were trying to manipulate him. He left the café without paying for his coffee.

*****

"But I like my new cell phone!" Kaiya whimpered. "I can play Sims on it!"

Washi laughed. Hotaru blinked. Iroh sighed. "They can track it. Put it in the junk pile. Along with your parents' credit cards."

Kaiya pouted. "The credit card is the only way I know my parents know I exist." She put the card in the pile as well. For good measure, she added all her membership cards, and basically anything with her name on it. Just in case.

Washi threw in his Blockbuster card. "I don't know about you two, but I'm pretty much spent on cash." He fingered his own debit card. Throwing it in the pile, he added, "And that thing only had like five bucks on it anyway."

"Money will not be a problem," Iroh said.

"Well, it wasn't until you made me put in the Saito card. Saito is like instant gold," Kaiya said. As much as she disliked her parents, she really did like their money.

"Hey, the Jia card is just as good," Hotaru said defensively. She'd been the first to empty her wallet. The hardest thing for her was the library card. How they could track a library card, she wasn't sure, but Iroh was preaching to them about not taking any chances. She had just learned the barcode on it, too.

"I actually doubt that, Hotaru," Iroh said. "The Saitos are extremely influential."

Kaiya nodded. "They're taking over the world. With the complete backing of the government."

"Anyway, as I was saying," Iroh said, "Money will not be an issue." He handed Washi a credit card with a picture of a flower on it. "This card is untraceable. You can stay invisible a long time using it."

Washi turned the card over and over in his hands, examining it. He'd never had a credit card without a limit. "Is this how you two feel all the time?" he asked the girls. "Like, powerful. Like you can rule the world?"

"Well, yeah," Kaiya admitted.

"There's one more thing. Kaiya, where's that ridiculous costume of yours?" Iroh asked. Kaiya avoided his gaze. "I am going to make sure you lay the Red Spirit to rest for good now."

Kaiya nodded. The Red Spirit did stupid things. Kaiya was going to be smarter than that now. She calmly went out to Washi's van and retrieved the costume. "There we go," she said, putting it in the pile.

Iroh shoved the whole mess into a trashcan and nodded to Hotaru. "What?" she asked.

"Burn it." Hotaru blinked. She took a deep breath and pointed at the can. A small shot of flames flew from her fingertips and into the trashcan, setting the mess ablaze instantly. "Excellent," Iroh said. "You'll be a firebender yet."

They left very soon after that, with the promise from Uncle Iroh that they wouldn't be alone. Kaiya wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that, but as with all things Iroh, she just naturally trusted the man. Which was good since he now knew a secret that could destroy her and her new friends.

*****

Anil stood on his balcony, looking out over the city and wondering if blowing out all the windows in the Saito building would accomplish anything. He loathed this city that idolized those murderers. But it was time to begin his search, and where better to start than here?

"I just heard that the Elites lost a _whole_ compound," Glacia sing-songed in her disturbingly cold voice as she slid up to Anil.

"I do love your ability to retrieve information," Anil said, meeting his partner's blue eyes. "I would think the blue hair would frighten them away."

"I am a puppet master, Anil. People do whatever I want them to do," she said. "No matter what my hair looks like." She ran a hand over the tattoo on Anil's forehead. "At least I have hair."

Anil moved her hand away. "You were saying why the compound is important to me?"

Glacia straightened, sighing. "They say it was a turncoat firebender and an unknown firebending master that did the job."

"Again. The importance to me, Glacia?"

"My dear Anil, I was just getting to that part. The good part. You always want me to rush to the good part," she pouted. "Don't you know I worked very hard to get this information for you?" She slid even closer to Anil. "Don't you know how difficult it is for me to work without a full moon on my side?"

Anil touched her cheek. "Of course, Glacia. I know what you do for me." He twirled a little twister in his hand and put it close to her eye. "But I have had a very bad day, and I am likely to lose my temper if you do not tell me why I care about the Elites losing a compound. It is not the Elites I am after, but their backers. The Saitos. You know this. Yet you waste my time. Why is that?" He inched the twister closer and closer to Glacia's eye.

As always, Glacia didn't flinch. She was too valuable to destroy. She knew that. "They destroyed the compound to get Kaiya Saito out."

The twister disappeared. "Out of where?"

"The compound," Glacia said in her sing-song voice.

"What was she doing there?"

Glacia threw an arm around Anil and whispered in his ear, "She's a waterbender."

Anil smiled. This was incredibly good news. Jumping up on the railing, he threw a slice of air at the Saito building to celebrate. As the air hit, all the windows on the top six floors crashed into a million pieces. Anil turned back to Glacia, who was admiring his work. He took her by the waist and kissed her. "Good job," he whispered in her ear.

"I know," she whispered back.

*****

It had been silence for two hours. It was driving Washi nuts. "Okay, so what are we going to do? Just travel around the country? Sounds like it would get boring pretty damn quick."

"Not like we can do much else, Washi. I mean, we can't get jobs. We can't do anything, really," Hotaru said, thinking of college.

"We can help people," Kaiya said. "When we can. You know."

"That doesn't sound conducive to staying invisible," Hotaru stated.

Kaiya shrugged. "It was just a thought." A pretty good one, if you asked Kaiya. She felt like she had to make up for her stupidity, like she had to fight the Elites, like she had to make the world a better place while she could. She'd been selfish. That's why she'd gotten caught so many times. If she started doing things just because it was the right thing to do, karma would back her up, right?

But saving people wasn't the new strategy. Not getting caught had become the priority while she had relived Wei and the torture chamber in her sleep. Not getting caught sounded good to Kaiya, too.


	13. Chapter 13: The White Lotus

Chapter Thirteen: The White Lotus

Washi dug through the back of his van in the parking lot of the group's latest middle-class hotel. He shoved aside a tennis racket, a quilt, and bag of old books, but had no luck finding what he was looking for. "I know they are in here. Tim would have said something about them. He would have made a smart-ass remark. I do not recall a smart-ass remark," Washi muttered to himself, climbing into the van now. Tim had been his roommate. And an ass.

"What are you doing?" Kaiya asked from the side of the van. "We're all checked in." She held out a keycard. "It's that one, right there, and Hotaru and I are next door." She pointed to a long cabin-like building off to the right with two front doors. Washi wasn't paying attention. "Washi? Hello? Earth to Washi?"

"Aha!" Washi leapt backwards out of the van, holding a long case.

"Pool cues?" Kaiya offered her best guess.

"No. My way out of being just the guy who drives the van," Washi explained, opening the case to show off the beautiful broadswords he'd gotten from his older brother.

"And you know how to use those, do you?" Kaiya asked skeptically.

"I know which end to hold," Washi said. Kaiya shook her head. "The rest will come later."

"Maybe the bookstore will have something that can help you. _Sword Fighting for Dummies_. Maybe we should go shopping?" Kaiya asked.

"What are you two yapping about?" Hotaru asked, coming up behind Kaiya. Having caught sight of the swords, she yelped, "Put those away! Are you nuts? What are people going to think?"

"That they are ancient collectables," Washi stated calmly.

"In the back of _your_ van?" Hotaru asked, raising an eyebrow to the pile of junk in the vehicle.

"What's wrong with Sheila?" Washi asked defensively. Hotaru just shook her head and walked away. Kaiya started laughing. "What?"

*****

"Whoosh, whoosh, Toyota!" Washi cried as he swung his swords around in his room later that night. Hotaru and Kaiya had gone out and bought him a whole collection of sword books. Hotaru especially liked _The History of the Sword_, _The Art of Sword Making_, and _The Encyclopedia of the Sword_. Hotaru was insistent that reading would help Washi become a better fighter. How he was supposed to read and drive a van at the same time, Washi didn't know. Kaiya's pick from the bookstore had lots of pictures and was called _Be a Swordsman Now_. Washi liked that one. He'd already skimmed most of it. Washi's definition of skimming was actually just looking at the pictures, but it was a start.

Periodically Washi looked out the window to make sure there weren't any lurkers paying attention to his van. So far the untraceable credit card had been lived up to its reputation, but Washi was still paranoid and was likely to remain so as long as Kaiya kept having nightmares. Now as Washi looked out his window, he saw someone getting out of a car and heading straight towards their rooms. Then he saw that the guy had a couple of swords of his own.

Washi bolted from his room, screaming and waving his swords around like an idiot. He'd decided that if he was wrong, well, he'd buy the guy a big screen TV and apologize for being a paranoid lunatic, hoping he'd forget all about it. As the other guy drew his swords and took Washi down with all of two strikes, Washi figured he didn't have to worry about being wrong. "Owe," he muttered from the ground.

"Where's Kaiya?" the guy, who was about Washi's age, actually, asked, holding a hook sword to Washi's face.

"What the hell is going on?" Kaiya and Hotaru bounded from their room. Kaiya stopped dead when she saw the new arrival. "Hahn?" she asked, shocked.

"Hahn?" Washi and Hotaru repeated. The stranger relaxed a little, and Washi rolled away.

"Why aren't you in Germany?" Kaiya asked. "And why are you trying to kill my friend?"

Washi inwardly grimaced at the word "friend," but retrieved his swords and stood to the side to observe the family reunion. So this was the cousin who had been like Kaiya's older brother.

"I'm here to protect you," Hahn said truthfully. Washi could see the older brother thing already.

"And who said I needed protecting?" Kaiya asked, annoyed. "I'm doing just fine on my own."

"Right. Getting caught and tortured by a group of government agents is fine."

Kaiya glared. "How do you know about that? Iroh? Did Iroh send you?"

"Yeah, well, kind of. It was him, but not just him. He sent me on behalf of the White Lotus."

"That's the picture on the card. I was beginning to wonder," Hotaru muttered as a light bulb came on in her head. Everyone else looked at her. "Sorry."

"You're Hotaru, right?" Hahn asked. She was at least prettier than the last firebender Kaiya had befriended. Hotaru nodded, giving him a little smile. It was cute, one of those "I don't know you, but I suppose I like you," kind of smiles. The kind you use when meeting the friend of a friend. "And, you're Wash." Hahn glared at Washi. "You need practice."

"It's Washi," he said defensively. "And, duh, man."

"So, Hahn. Are you going to tell me why the hell you aren't in Germany?"

"And, you know, what's the White Lotus?" Hotaru added to Kaiya's question.

*****

"Name please," the secretary asked.

"Mike Chan," the new recruit said, trying to remain calm. "You knew that already. You asked me here, you know."

"Sir, we have protocols. Age?" she continued, looking at Mike over her reading glasses.

"Twenty-three."

The older woman blinked and looked Mike up and down. "And the Elites wanted you to run a whole division?" Mike shrugged. "Reason for leaving the Elites?"

"Long version or short version?"

"Either one will do."

"Irreconcilable differences."

"Longer please."

"I've been helping Zakk Foco and Kaiya Saito. When the higher ups find out, they'll have me killed."

"And why were you helping them?"

"What's with that question? Isn't the fact that I was helping them enough for you?"

The older woman took off her glasses and looked Mike up and down. "Motives are important. It is not enough to simply do the right thing. You have to have a pure heart. Do the right thing because it is the right thing."

Mike shook his head. "I don't know why I helped them. I just know I need to keep on helping them. This seemed the better way to go about it."

The secretary smiled. "Well, it's not a very specific reason, but I'll go with it. Welcome to the White Lotus."

*****

"I was recruited last year," Hahn said once the gang had moved to the girls' room. It seemed better to have this conversation inside. "By the secret organization known as the White Lotus. Iroh heads it up now, but my father used to run it. They're the ones who sent me to Germany for training."

"Why Germany?" Washi asked.

"Why not?" Hahn shot back.

"So, not to learn Germany, then. Not to learn about a new culture. To learn how to be a bad-ass spy," Kaiya glared at Hahn. Washi was incredibly glad he was not Hahn. He fully expected Kaiya to slap Hahn around like she'd done to Zakk.

"They told me not to tell anyone, Kaiya," Hahn explained. It was lame, he knew, especially with Kaiya's trust issues, but it was the only explanation he had. "I joined to help them stop the Elites. New members are joining everyday. Family of benders, benders themselves, just normal people who know something incredible is happening in the world."

"What do you do? I mean, how are you going to take down the Elites?" Hotaru asked.

"Eventually, we are planning to expose them, but it is complicated. Exposing the Elites means exposing the benders. Exposing the benders…"

"Means we just walked into an X-Men comic, and people are going to panic," Kaiya finished. Hotaru had to admit it. This time the X-Men thing made sense.

"The masses are not ready for benders. And, from what we know, the benders aren't ready to be exposed, either."

"What do you mean?" Hotaru asked.

"All the benders are eighteen and under. What we try to do is find benders before the Elites do. We keep them from recruiting. We keep the benders safe until they can decide what to do. We help benders who come to us."

"And what about the Avatar?" Kaiya asked. "Find him yet?"

Hahn smiled. "We're working on it. Remember Professor Lee?" Kaiya nodded. "He's one of us."

Kaiya blinked. "But he acted so surprised to find out I was a waterbender."

"Well, yeah. Knowing something weird is happening is different from having that something weird break into your house. Anyway, after your first break in, he gave us this." Hahn reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a scroll. "It's the other part of the scroll you took. He gave it to us for safe-keeping. The Elites really want this thing. They see the Avatar as the ultimate weapon. And, he would be," Hahn admitted, "But he shouldn't be used that way. No bender should. We want to find the Avatar and warn him about the Elites."

"And they gave you the scroll?" Kaiya asked. "You lose everything! How can you be trusted with a priceless document?"

Hahn glared at his little cousin. "I do not lose everything. And, besides, this is a copy. Made to look like an original in case we are captured. There are other copies out there and other teams looking for the Avatar. Iroh just figured, you know, you wouldn't stop looking for this thing anyway, so he might as well give us a copy."

"So, what? We've been recruited by the White Lotus now?" Kaiya asked. She had a known problem with authority.

"You can either help me find the Avatar or not. I don't care. But you're stuck with me. I'm staying with you to help you evade the Elites."

Hotaru didn't like the tension in the room. She raised her hand. "Can I see the scroll now?"


	14. Chapter 14: These Firebenders

Chapter Fourteen: These Firebenders

"What's the buzz, Hotaru?" Hahn asked when they stopped for lunch. It had been a week since Hahn had located the gang, and he still felt like he was missing half his brain when he was alone with Hotaru.

Hotaru took her head out of the notebook she'd been working in and looked up. "The van stopped," she said, looking around. "When did the van stop?"

"Five minutes ago. Find anything interesting?"

"I found a list of past Avatars, but I can't make out their names. I also found out that the last recorded Avatar was an airbender. I'm confused, though, because it says he was one-hundred and seventy when he died. Or, I think it says that. It also seems to say he was frozen for a hundred years. I think I'm translating wrong. It is not reassuring."

Hahn blinked. "You didn't have much trouble with the other scroll."

Hotaru laughed. "Of course I did! This isn't just another language. This is a dead language. An ancient language that like nobody knows, and I don't know if these books I have are even worth anything. I mean, according to these books this symbol right here," Hotaru pointed, "means 'sky-buffalo,' and this one means 'badger-mole.' I ask you, Hahn, what the hell is a badger-mole?"

"Obviously a composite creature," Hahn said, shrugging. "Like, you know, a sphinx or gryphon."

Hotaru blinked. "Those aren't real."

"Yeah, but, we don't know that for sure," Hahn said. "You can make fire come flying out of your hands. Anything's possible."

*****

Zakk dodged the blue fire ball flying at his head and shot his own whip at his opponent. She'd caught up with him early that morning, and, without so much as a hello, she'd started throwing blue fire at him. First of all, Zakk had never seen blue fire. Secondly, he had no idea what he'd done to piss Hotaru off so much that she decided to track him down and kill him. "Hotaru, stop!" For someone who apparently didn't know how to control her firebending, she was doing a great job.

The blue flames stopped flying at him. "I'm not Hotaru. I would have thought you'd known that, seeing as how you're the one who kidnapped her."

"What?"

"Don't try to deny it!" Hoshi screamed. "I saw you take her to that compound. I saw that other guy carry her out of the compound, unconscious. What have you done with my sister?" Certainly Hoshi had bigger and better plans than rescuing her sister, but family was family, after all. The taking over the world plan could wait a little while, anyway.

"I didn't do anything to your sister!" Zakk yelled back. "She's fine, last I saw."

Hoshi relaxed. "Good. Now that that's settled, I have a proposal for you. If, of course, you are the legendary Zakk Foco, also known as the Ghost, the best firebender the Elites ever got to fight for them."

Zakk raised an eyebrow. "I'm legendary?"

"I was being kind."

"What do you want from me?"

"I think we should join forces. After all, two firebenders are better than one. We can help each other. I'm even willing to help you first. What is it you are doing, anyway? You made it very easy for me to find you."

*****

"I don't get it. We're on the run, and all you want to do is go see a movie?" Kaiya asked in disbelief as she and Washi walked down the street towards the theater. She still didn't know how Washi had talked her into this.

"Hey now, _Terminator: Salvation_ is not just any movie. It is the latest in a long line of classics. It's the best pre-destined time loop ever made. And I'm counting the _Star Trek: Voyager_ two hour episode that didn't actually happen." Kaiya laughed. "It's a whole mythology, Kaiya. I have to see how it ends."

Kaiya shook her head. "Okay, but I'm not going to be the one to tell Hahn and Hotaru where we went…"

"Stop right there!" a hooded figure jumped out of the alley beside them, holding a gun on them. Kaiya tilted her head, curious. He didn't look like an Elite agent. Too dirty. "Give me your money!"

Another figure, wearing a ridiculous black and gold costume with a cape landed beside the would-be-mugger and shot a small fireball into his stomach, sending him back down the alley, where he landed in a pile of trash, unconscious.

Kaiya immediately reacted, throwing water from the gutter onto the vigilante and freezing him to the side of a building. "What do you think you're doing? Being desperate enough to mug somebody doesn't mean he deserved to die!"

The firebender blinked in confusion, an understandable reaction to being frozen to a building. "I didn't kill him. Just knocked him down. He'll be a little sore, but no lasting injuries. Maybe it will teach him a lesson. Maybe he'll think twice before trying to mug a beautiful girl."

Kaiya rolled her eyes. "Nice try," she said. She let him go anyway.

"That's some awesome power you have there," the firebender commented. Washi glared. "I'm Daiske. And you are?"

"Kaiya, and this is Washi." Daiske nodded. Kaiya tilted her head. "Say, how good are you at firebending?" she asked.

"Well how good are you at what you do?" Daiske asked, his tone too personal for Washi's liking.

Kaiya laughed, "Nice try again. Stop it." She jabbed a finger at the new guy. "I've got a different girl I want you to meet."

*****

Washi and Hahn sat at a bar, mindlessly watching the sports channel. "Kaiya and her bright ideas," Washi muttered. "We were going out. You know. Like, date, out. I got her out. Stupid firebender."

Hahn shook his head. He didn't like the idea of this firebending lesson, either. "Did you see his outfit? How stupid do you have to be to wear a cape?"

"I know!" Washi said, a little too loudly. He shook his head. "And why does Kaiya have to go with them? Huh? I mean, what do they need Kaiya for? Kaiya's not a firebender. Kaiya and me, we could have gone to see the killer robots try to destroy humanity's last hope for survival!" Washi looked at his empty beer glass. "Instead I'm drinking beer and watching sports. This is too normal for me. Feels weird."

Hahn was actually thankful Kaiya had gone with them. "She's their insurance policy. Only Kaiya can prevent forest fires."

"You should have seen how he just popped out of thin air, all heroic like. I expected a theme song to start playing. It was that corny."

"I still can't believe Hotaru went along with it. I mean, I know she really wants to learn to control her firebending, but wouldn't it be better for her to do it herself?"

"I tried to get Zakk to stay and show her how, but he said that was a bad idea."

"Don't get me started on Zakk Foco," Hahn muttered angrily. He signaled the bartender for two more beers.

"I don't like firebenders," Washi decided. "They ruin everything."

"Yeah," Hahn said. "Except Hotaru."

Washi nodded. "Except Hotaru." Their beers came. Washi raised his glass, "To Hotaru! The only firebender we like!"

*****

Hotaru whipped the fire around her body, for the first time feeling completely in control of her actions. The fire whip had been a move she'd always wanted to perfect, especially after seeing Kaiya do it with water. Daiske had told her to concentrate and have confidence in herself. It was difficult to resist Daiske's charm. Everything he said, Hotaru just naturally believed. So when he told her she could do the whip, she believed him. And then she'd done it.

"See, Hotaru? I told you. You just had to have faith in yourself," Daiske said, touching Hotaru's shoulder. The alarm on his watch started going off. "I have to go, but keep practicing. I'm sure you'll be just fine now," Daiske said.

"Wait, where are you going? I told Washi we'd all meet up for a midnight showing!" Kaiya yelled from the other side of the clearing. The insurance policy had been pretty bored through all this. Within five minutes she had lost interest in critiquing Daiske's costume.

"I had word that there would be a bank heist tonight. I'm going to go stop it."

"Maybe we can help you!" Kaiya said excitedly, jumping up from her rock seat.

"No!" Daiske yelled. Kaiya and Hotaru exchanged glances. "I mean, it's dangerous. This gang is very professional. I would hate for anyone to get hurt in my town." He smiled at the girls. "I can handle them. I know how they think. I'll catch you two tomorrow, maybe?" The girls nodded. Daiske waved a goodbye, and was off hopping on his motorcycle and heading back into the city.

Kaiya watched him go. "Who lets the super hero know when the bank heist is going down?"

"Maybe he has a double life?" Hotaru offered.

Kaiya narrowed her eyes, thinking. "I think we should go after him."

"Kaiya…"

"What? If they're as dangerous as he says, he might need our help. And, if he hasn't gotten caught yet, we probably could go unnoticed here, too," Kaiya said. "Besides, we'll be gone tomorrow." Hotaru, knowing it was useless arguing with her, followed her to the van to follow Daiske.

The flames told them exactly which building was the bank. Kaiya jumped out of the van first. Daiske was coming down the front steps of the building, carrying out a safe deposit box. He was moving too fast for Kaiya's taste. "What happened?" she yelled at him.

Daiske stopped short, shocked to see her. "Well, uh, things got a little out of hand here, Kaiya. But, don't worry. They have a great fire department here, and they'll sort it all out."

"Where are the bad guys?"

"Oh, I'm afraid they got stuck inside. Nothing I could do, really. See, they'd gone after the vault, and things get a little cramped down there."

Kaiya couldn't believe this. He was lying through his teeth! "You used common criminals to get you in, took what you wanted, and then killed them! Didn't you? That's how you knew when the heist was going down! You arranged it!"

"Kaiya, you just don't understand. We have so much power. Shouldn't we get what we want in exchange for this curse?" Daiske held up the box as evidence. She pulled a long, thick whip out of the ornate fountain at the base of the steps and shot it as Daiske, throwing him up in the air. Instead of letting him crash down, she froze him there at the top of a column of water. Drawing another column of water around her, she pulled herself up to look him in the eye as she froze his hands behind his back so he couldn't firebend. "Don't let me die like this!"

"You won't die," Kaiya said. "And maybe this will be a lesson for you to stop trying to trick pretty girls into thinking you are worth their time." She brought herself back down to the ground and ran back to the van. Hotaru was staring, mouth open, at Daiske, still struggling against the ice, fifteen feet in the air. "Time to go," Kaiya said. Hotaru nodded. Definitely time to go.


	15. Chapter 15: The Little Earthbender

Chapter Fifteen: The Little Earthbender

"So, Hahn, what's your Zombie Plan?" Washi asked during a commercial break. They were watching _Resident Evil_. Well, truth be told, Washi was watching it. Hahn was on the other side of the room, reading Hotaru's mythology textbook. The girls had opted for a chick flick that had immediately driven Hahn and Washi back into the guys' room, or as Washi had dubbed it "The Man Cave."

Hahn looked up from the book and gave Washi a "What the hell?" look.

"You know, for when the zombies attack. What's your plan?" Washi asked, serious. "I'm going to Alaska." He nodded decisively.

"Really?" Hahn asked. "I'm finding Kaiya. No zombie would mess with Kaiya."

Washi nodded solemnly. "Yes, this is true. Your plan wins."

Hahn started to shake his head but was distracted by the fact that the walls had started shaking. Washi slid off his armchair and started yelling "Earthquake!" over and over again.

"We have to get the girls!" Hahn yelled back, wanting to slap Washi in the back of the head. Instead he ran for the door.

"Wait! Your Earthquake Plan can't be the same as your Zombie Plan!" Washi yelled, going after him. He found running incredibly difficult, and thought perhaps it would have been a better Earthquake Plan to stay in one spot. But what could he do? Hahn was going to get himself killed.

"It's not an earthquake, you idiot!" Hahn yelled, running down the hallway, scolding himself for picking rooms on the ground floor of the hotel.

"How do you know? Generally speaking, man, if the ground is shaking, it's an earthquake!" Washi screamed, still trying to keep up with Hahn while having the crap scared out of him.

"I'm from _California_!" Hahn yelled back. "This is not an earthquake!"

Washi decided to trust the cousin and have him explain later.

*****

It occurred to Kaiya, as she was catapulted through the air, that teaching a vigilante a lesson might not have been the best way to keep the Elites from finding them. The walls were crashing down around them. The advantage of this state of the room was that all the pipes were exposed and already spraying out water. Before Kaiya even landed, she threw a wave at her opponent, and for the first time, got a good look at the kid.

She was short, young, and looked like she could take out the heavy weight champion of the world. It wasn't her size. She was downright little. It was the attitude. This girl could have split open a mountain. Knowing what Kaiya knew about the girl's powers, that wasn't really an exaggeration. More like an educated guess.

"What do you want from us?" Kaiya yelled, frustrated. "We beat you, move on!"

Hotaru got one good look at the girl and remembered for the first time the details of the night they'd broken Kaiya out of the compound. "Who _are_ you?" she asked, wondering how anybody had survived the blast. _Her_ blast.

The girl smiled. "I'm Tong Fa. They call me the Little Earthbender." She lifted four slabs of earth out of the ground and pinned Hotaru where she stood. "And you are going to have to firebend to get of there." She turned to face Kaiya head on. "They want to recruit a waterbender."

"So, you're their recruiter, are you?" Kaiya asked, backing up slightly. To her right the bathroom was flooding.

Tong Fa laughed. "Yeah, I guess I am! I've just been promoted! The best Elite agent ever! Better than any bender alive!"

Kaiya raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She shrugged. "Guess I can't argue with that." She quickly threw a sheet of ice down on the floor, hoping to slide Tong Fa out of the room. The move, which would have sent Zakk flying, Kaiya was certain, failed. The little girl lifted herself into the air and away from the shallow wave of water.

"No, really, you can't," Tong Fa commented from her pedestal.

Kaiya narrowed her eyes and threw a water whip at the girl, who dropped back down. She wasn't quick enough, however, to dodge the whip coming back from behind her, and the little earthbender went down.

"Kaiya!" Hahn yelled as he ran into the room. One second he was running to help his cousin, the next he was flying through the air, passing through where the wall used to be, and landing in the hotel's backyard.

"Whoah!" Washi yelled, skidding to a halt. He gave Hotaru's earth tent a swift kick to free the firebender, but it failed. "Owe, owe, owe," he yelped, hopping on one foot. The ground slid out from beneath his good foot, and he landed on his head. Tong Fa glared angrily at Kaiya as she buried Washi in the floor up to his waist. No need killing anybody when you could trap them in earth. That was her thinking. Washi blinked, stunned at the position he found himself in. "Well, here I am," he muttered, giving up.

Kaiya formed the water around her into a protective little platform. When Tong Fa tried to catapult her back into the air, Kaiya formed an ice ball around herself and rolled herself back to a fighting position. "Let them go!" she yelled at the girl.

"I can't have them interfering with this, Kaiya. It's just you and me now! Battle royal!"

Kaiya shook her head. "What?" she asked.

"You defeated Zakk Foco many times. I have defeated every firebender I've ever fought. So now, Kaiya Saito, I am going to prove how good I really am. By defeating you and delivering you to the Elites."

"And what will you get for that?" Hotaru yelled from her tent. "A pat on the head?"

Tong Fa blinked. "I get to win. Duh."

Washi and Kaiya exchanged glances. "No," Washi said slowly. "_They_ get to win."

Tong Fa glared at them. "We'll see." She threw a rock at Kaiya's head. Instead of ducking, Kaiya threw as much water as she could back at the earthbender. The rock dissolved into mud and splattered across the room.

Washi couldn't help but think that, if the earthbender wasn't trying to kidnap Kaiya, the mud wrestling thing would have been pretty cool.

Kaiya kept throwing water at the little earthbender, pushing the girl backwards until Tong Fa decided she'd had enough and lifted herself back into the air. Kaiya didn't let up for a moment, throwing water at the base of Tong Fa's earthen tower. The earth faltered, slid, and Tong Fa, still on a slab of earth, charged at Kaiya. In response, Kaiya, perhaps thinking like an earthbender, sank herself into the mud hole that used to be the hotel room floor. When Tong Fa's slab of earth hit the mud pit, she lost her balance and went flying through the air. Pulling as much water as she could, Kaiya surrounded Tong Fa and froze her into place. With her head touching the ceiling and her body pinned in the ice, Tong Fa was trapped.

Hahn came running back into the room through the hole in the wall and sliced through Hotaru's prison with one of his swords. He looked from Tong Fa to Kaiya and said, "This is why you are my Zombie Plan," he told his cousin.

"Your what?" Kaiya asked.

"Mine is driving the brain-eating horde into an underground volcano," Tong Fa commented from above.

Washi nodded. "That's a good one, too."

Hotaru, dusting the dirt off her clothes, shook her head and angrily yelled, "Don't talk to her! She was trying to kidnap Kaiya!"

"This is true," Tong Fa yelled. "So what are you going to do with me?"

Kaiya looked at her friends, one of whom was still trapped in the earth. "I'm going to let you go."

"What?" An uproar ensued.

Kaiya rolled her eyes. "Can you get Washi out of the earth safely?" she asked the little earthbender.

"Well, yeah," the girl said, trying to shrug. "That's easy peasy."

"And, if I let you go, we're done. Get it? I beat you. No more earth versus water."

Tong Fa looked disappointed. "Can't we have the best two out of three?" she asked hopefully.

Hahn shook his head at the girl. "You do know the Elites are just using you for their own gains, right?"

"No one uses Tong Fa, Lotus eater!" the girl yelled back.

Washi laughed. Hahn slapped him in the back of the head.

Kaiya put up her hands. "Now, stop it! We are trying to negotiate here."

"Prove they aren't using you!" Hotaru yelled.

"Name your terms, inept firebender," Tong Fa yelled back, ready for a challenge, as always.

"Leave the Elites," Hotaru said calmly.

"Hah!" Tong Fa cried out. "Done!"

"You won't go back to them?" Kaiya asked.

"They'll never hear from me again. Unless it's in battle. Then I'll kick their Elite asses!" Tong Fa yelled. "Because I am not their weapon! I am Tong Fa! The greatest bender alive!" Tong Fa looked down at Kaiya. "Or, the greatest earthbender alive!" she yelled with renewed gusto.

Kaiya blinked as Hotaru and Hahn exchanged glances again. "Well, okay then. I think we have a deal." Slowly she let Tong Fa down. As soon as the earthbender's feet hit solid ground, she made a quick motion with her fist, and Washi popped out of the ground unharmed.

The little earthbender offered her hand to Kaiya. "Good match," Tong Fa said, nodding.

Kaiya shook the offered hand. "Yeah, I guess it was."

Tong Fa smiled. "You know, you're probably the best training I've had since I first met Zakk!"

"I'm glad?" Kaiya said, unsure what to do in this situation. She still half expected the little earthbender to pull a fast one and throw Kaiya in earth cuffs or something.

Tong Fa laughed. "You sure you don't want to go two out of three?" Kaiya glared at her. "Guess not." She looked around at the destruction. "Eew. I think we'd better get out of here."

"Can we give you a ride somewhere?" Washi offered. This time he received smacks on the back of the head from both Hotaru and Hahn. "What? We've got a van. What's she got?"

Tong Fa tilted her head at him, "A Harley." The others exchanged glances. Well, she _was_ the best.

They parted ways ten minutes later, deciding that checking out of the hotel was not necessary. In the backseat of the van, Kaiya smiled to herself. That was two Elite agents Kaiya had influenced into leaving the corrupt organization. She was so totally the greatest bender in the world.


	16. Chapter 16: The Airbenders

Chapter Sixteen: The Airbenders

Skylar sat out on the balcony looking out over the city. It was a beautiful afternoon. The sky was blue and inviting, and once again Skylar wished he and Anil had just stayed in the mountains where they belonged. Out in the middle of nowhere, no one cared what you did. Even if what you did was more than a little odd, like flying around on home-made hang-gliders. It had been so amazing back home. He knew what his grandparents had liked about it so much when they'd first found the place.

_Forty-Odd Years Ago_

"Smile, Andy, this is our trip across America!" Gabriella, or Gabby to her fellow wanderers, yelled to her boyfriend as she pointed her new camera at him.

"Man, these mountains have been here forever!" Andy yelled back, ignoring the camera, like he almost always did, and looking over the edge of the cliff. "Bitchin'!" he said, regarding the view.

"Hey, careful, man, you don't wanna fall over, there. Not like we can fly or anything," one of their friends yelled from the van.

"Yeah, Andy, knock it off!" Gabby said.

"What?" Andy asked, looking back. "It's not like I'm stupid enough to jump off a cliff."

"No, but you might be high enough, man!" the friend retorted. He and Andy started laughing while Gabby stood by with her hands on her hips, perturbed.

The laughing continued until, sure enough, Andy lost his balance and tumbled backward over the cliff. He instinctively reached out, and was miraculously caught by a natural net of vines growing underneath the cliff. He swung there a few minutes, not believing what he was seeing. A whole city built upside down underneath a cliff. "Dudes!" he called out. "This is far out!"

Their whole group climbed down to see the wickedly cool city under the cliff. They found what looked to be the central meeting point of the ancient city and set up camp. Around the fire they talked about their next move.

"We should totally go to the papers, man! We could be known as famous explorers. Instead of, you know…"

"Hippies," Gabby supplied for their friend Leon.

"Yeah, man!"

There was a round of mixed response to this idea, which ended with Andy saying, "That does seem to go against everything we have previously stated we stand for, man. Are we really going to sell out?" Andy asked. There was a chorus of colorful negatives. "Are we going to let the government take this place over and make it a theme park?" A chorus of boos echoed through the ruins. "Or are we going to take it and make it what it once was?"

The chorus didn't know what he meant.

"Dude, it's a ruin." Leon gestured around the cave. "Look. The only thing we can do is tell everybody what we found."

Gabby, who had taken enough pictures to fill an entire magazine, had mixed feelings. "It would be nice to think my parents could be proud of something I did."

"But, Gabby," Andy said, "Don't you see it? Don't you realize? This is off the edge of the map, man!" He jumped up and gestured towards the walls. "These were built by people like us! People who wanted to be free from the ways of the outside world! We don't belong out there, man! We belong here!" Andy pointed to the ground to further his point. The crowd watched and listened on in silence. "We've been looking for a place like this. A place where we can be free. Where we can live the life we want."

The crowd expressed more mixed feelings. Gabby stood up. "No distractions," she said. "Nobody telling us what to do or how to act. Nobody telling us our dreams aren't good enough. No disappointments. No looking back." She took her camera and chucked it off the cliff. Turning to Andy she smiled and said, "I'll leave the world with you."

_Approximately Thirty Years After That_

"Tell me again, Grandpa Angy!" seven-year-old Anil yelled from his bed.

Andy smiled and sat down. "So the great Air Nomads of old built this city as an oasis away from the outside world. And no one could touch them, for they owned the sky and controlled the wind."

"And could they fly?" Anil asked.

"Could they fly?" Andy repeated. "Pft. Of course they could fly! We're talking about the great Air Nomads here, little man! They made their own gliders…"

"Like Dad's!"

"Just like your dad's. And they flew around the valley all day and all night. It was their spirit that lifted them up!"

"A spirit that couldn't be broken or even bent!" Anil said excitedly.

"That's right! A spirit that couldn't be bent. And they had friends in the animals that also called this city their home. Do you remember them?"

"The monkeys and the flying buffalo!" Anil cried gleefully.

"Don't forget, the monkeys could fly, too!" Andy reminded him. Anil nodded. "And the greatest of all the Air Nomads was a young boy named Anil. And he wore an arrow on his head and his arms to represent his mastery of the air. His mastery of the art of freedom. And his mastery of spirit."

"The unbending spirit," Anil nodded decisively. Andy nodded with him.

"And it was this young Air Nomad's responsibility to protect his people, to make sure they were always free and happy. To make sure their spirit would never, ever be broken or bent. It was especially his duty to…"

"Protect his little brother! Skylar! Because their Mom and Dad had flown up to heaven trying to reach the stars. So Anil had watch over Skylar first and then the rest of the great Air Nomads," Anil finished the story, as always.

Andy smiled sadly. It had been too soon for the boy to lose his parents. Unfortunately, when you live in a cliff and like to experiment with hang-gliders, accidents are very likely to happen. A far off rumbling sound moved Andy out of his reverie. It sounded like something was being dropped on the mountain above them.

"What is it, Grandpa?" Anil asked, frightened.

Andy went to the closet and pulled out Daniel's glider. He handed it to Anil. "Listen to me, Anil. I want you take your father's glider, and little Skylar, and I want you to fly."

"Where are we going?" Anil asked.

Andy shook his head. "Not we, son. Just you and Skylar. You have to get out of here. Fly down to the valley, head for the crowded mountains and hide. Don't let anyone see you flying. Do you understand? It's very important that no one knows you are an Air Nomad. Hide. Stay safe. Keep Skylar safe and free. And keep that unbendable spirit of yours alive. No matter what." Andy pulled Anil out of bed and strapped the sleeping one-year-old Skylar onto Anil's chest. "Go. Now." Anil ran from the room, following the orders of his grandfather.

Andy let out a cleansing breath. At least they would be safe. He'd known this day would come, known Leon Saito couldn't let well enough alone. Now his home was crashing down upon him. Well, he hoped Leon was happy. He hoped he found whatever power he was looking for.

The ceiling started caving in around him.

"Not," Andy muttered, wishing Gabby had thrown Leon off the cliff instead of her camera.

_Present Day_

Skylar didn't understand why, after eleven years, Anil suddenly wanted revenge. He wanted to blame Glacia, but Skylar knew Anil was the one who'd gone looking for _her_. He said they would need help finding the Saitos and destroying their future the way they'd destroyed theirs. The way Skylar saw it, Anil was the one destroying things.

"There you are," Anil said as he came out onto the balcony. "Are you ready for a little road trip?"

Skylar looked up at his brother. "Where are we going now?"

"Pft. I thought you two were supposed to be nomads," Glacia muttered from the balcony doorway. "Don't you like moving around, little airbender?"

Skylar glared at the teenager. He hated teenagers.

"We are recruiting a firebender," Anil stated calmly.

"Why?" Skylar asked.

"Because we are going after a waterbender, of course," Anil said. "We are going to destroy the Saito's future. It boils down to just one person, Skylar. They knew it when they attacked us, you know. They were after us. The children of the Air Nomads. The ones who could really control the wind. Now we'll take their child, their future."

Glacia smiled her cruel, cold smile, looking straight at Skylar. "And we'll crush her."


	17. Chapter 17: Frienemies

Chapter Seventeen: Frienemies

"I don't get why you're so hung up on that girl. It's obviously a lost cause. You should just move on," Hoshi sat in the front row of the deserted theater, filing her nails.

A few rows down, Zakk sat reading Kaiya's journal. "There's something special about her."

"You obviously aren't thinking with your brain," Hoshi commented. "Or, at least, not the right one."

Zakk sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm serious. It's not just the obvious stuff…"

"She's beautiful, brilliant, and a powerful bender," Hoshi supplied, "Who taught you how to love and live and made you leave the Elites."

"It's not just that stuff. The more I read this, the more I realize something is extraordinary about Kaiya's powers."

"What, the controlling water bit isn't enough for you?"

"We can control fire, but we can still be burned," Zakk commented.

Hoshi stopped filing. "What is that supposed to mean? What, Kaiya can't get burned? I think you proved that one wrong before, oh, Ghosty boy."

"No. Kaiya can control water. But she can't drown," Zakk held up the journal as proof." "Even when she wants to."

Hoshi thought a moment. "Kaiya Saito tried to kill herself?"

Zakk immediately regretted telling the other firebender that detail. "And she couldn't. Something inside her, bigger than her bending, made her stop."

"So that's why you keep reading that thing? You want to know what it is?" Hoshi asked.

Zakk looked back at her. "Don't you?"

Hoshi went back to filing her nails. "Not really. I mean, whatever power she's got isn't really going to help me, now is it?"

The exit door at the back of the theater blew open and a wave of water swept up the aisles at the two firebenders. Zakk and Hoshi jumped up onto their seats as Anil and Glacia stalked slowly into the theater. Zakk recognized the type. They were going to offer them something. Noticing the guy's arrow tattoos, Zakk's eyes widened. "You're the airbender."

Anil nodded. "So, the Elites do know about me."

"The Elites pretty much know about everybody," Zakk commented.

"Except me," Hoshi said, waving. "Oh, and Kaiya Saito. And my sister. And probably a lot of other people who kept their powers under wraps."

Zakk looked back at her. "They knew about Hotaru. Kind of. Suspected. Anyway, that's not the issue today, okay?" He looked back at Anil. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd ask if you two would care to join me."

"Sweet, like, you going to a movie or something?" Hoshi asked. Zakk couldn't help but laugh at that. He couldn't wait for Hoshi to meet Kaiya. That would be a trip and a half.

"Silence, firebender!" the blue-haired girl yelled, glaring.

Zakk tilted his head, looking carefully at the girl. She looked oddly familiar. "You're Glacia, aren't you? The Elites thought you'd been killed when they…"

"When they attacked my home wanting to kidnap me." Glacia turned her icy stare towards Zakk. "They failed."

Anil held up a hand. "Please, we are wasting valuable time. I am going to destroy the Elites. Would either of you care to join me?"

"What the hell kind of good would that do?" Hoshi asked. "They aren't bothering me any."

"How are you going to do that?" Zakk asked overtop Hoshi's question.

Anil smiled. "From the top down." Zakk narrowed his eyes. "The Saitos control the Elites. So I am going to destroy the Saitos."

"Saito?" Hoshi asked, looking from Anil to Zakk and back and forth. "As in Kaiya?"

"Precisely," Anil said. "With the Elites gone, we can take our proper place in the world. Are you with me?"

"I'm all for taking over the world," Hoshi said calmly. "But, I'm not so much on the killing people deal. So, I think you can count me out."

Zakk didn't answer. He just threw a fireball at the airbender.

"I think you can count Zakk out, too," Hoshi muttered, following Zakk's lead and firing at the airbender and his icy friend. She was hit out of nowhere by a gust of wind and thrown back against the far wall of the theater. Water crept towards her on the floor and began to ice over. She threw a fire whip out and melted it, jumping up to whip back at the pesky waterbender.

Meanwhile Zakk's fireballs continued to miss Anil. Airbenders, Zakk found, were highly annoying to fight, and he suddenly knew why the Elites had never been able to find or capture any of these people. Every fireball he threw, Anil evaded. Every whip, every wave, every flame missed the airbender by a mile. It wasn't entirely Zakk's fault. The guy was flying for crying out loud. This was as bad as fighting Tong Fa and getting dirt chucked at him from all directions at once. As Zakk was hit by a blade of air, he realized it was much worse than fighting Tong Fa. Tong Fa only ever wanted to win, to be the best. Anil was out for blood.

Glacia threw another ice shield in front of her as the wave of flames flew out of Hoshi's hands and towards her face. It was only a couple days from the full moon. Why hadn't they waited just those couple of days? Then she would have taught these two firebenders the power of a true waterbending puppet master. That was her true power. Not this water park shit. This was for babies. A fiery whip made contact with Glacia's cheek, leaving a long slash. She glared at the firebender and whipped back at her, hoping to at least cut some of the girl's perfect black hair with the ice.

Hoshi jumped back from the ice whip, threw a flame wall up in response, and decided to run for it. She would have sounded the retreat to Zakk, but if truth be known, she didn't really like the guy all that much. He wanted to defend Kaiya Saito until his death, so be it. This wasn't Hoshi's scene. She was out of there. Throwing flames behind her to slow down the waterbender, she ran for the closest emergency exit.

She tripped over something on her way out. Hoshi bent down and picked up Kaiya Saito's journal. For a moment she thought about burning it, but then thought better of it. If there was something special about Kaiya Saito, then one day Hoshi would need to know what it was. She got back up and ran for it, clutching the journal in her hand.

Zakk sensed more than saw Hoshi leave. He hadn't really expected her to stick around much longer. If Anil had said anything about Hotaru, Zakk figured it would be another story. But this was about Kaiya, and the fact was Hoshi couldn't care less. Zakk, on the other hand, was hell bent on warning her about this lunatic airbender. Sure, she probably wouldn't listen to him, and she'd probably kick his ass for showing back up in her life again, but that's what Zakk did now. He protected Kaiya Saito.

Zakk got his chance for escape when Anil started playing with him. He was giving Glacia a chance to attack him, and so wasn't expecting Zakk to throw a fireball at him. An ice whip hit Zakk square in the back, but his own fireball threw Anil back against the wall, where the airbender slid down the wall and into a heap on the floor. Zakk was hit with another wave of water, but Glacia was preoccupied enough with helping Anil that Zakk was able to make a run for it.

Now the only thing he had to do was actually find Kaiya and her friends. He had a feeling this would be harder than fighting the flying guy.

*****

"I failed you, Anil. I let them get away," Glacia apologized late that night on the balcony.

"No, Glacia. It was my plan that failed. I underestimated them. Now we try it your way."

Glacia smiled. "I like my way."

"What exactly is her way, Anil?" Skylar asked from the doorway.

"We _make_ a firebender help us," Glacia explained. She looked at the nearly full moon. "And we make Kaiya Saito come to _us_."

Skylar backed away into the penthouse. He really didn't like that girl. She gave him the creeps.


	18. Chapter 18: The Dragon Couple

Chapter Eighteen: The Dragon Couple

The good news was Zakk had found Kaiya. As it turned out, Iroh was all too happy to help Zakk warn Kaiya about the crazy airbender trying to kill her. Kaiya, on the other hand, was not as happy to hear from Zakk. That was the bad news.

"You don't know what you're doing, Kaiya!" Zakk yelled from across the room, blocking the wave she'd just thrown at him with a wall of flames and shooting a warning blow in her general direction. "I'm not the enemy today!"

"Sure you are, Zakk! I haven't repaid you for last year yet!" She threw a wave of ice at him, pinning his feet to the ground. She couldn't believe he'd had the guts to come back to their group. If Hahn had seen him, he would have had a fit. Suddenly Kaiya couldn't help but wonder what that would have been like. Broadswords against firebending. Hahn would have been screwed.

"You just don't get it, Kaiya. You're wasting energy on me. This guy, this Airbending Master, Kaiya, you don't know how dangerous he is. Please, just take your friends and get far away from here!" He didn't bother shooting any more fire at her. It was a full moon, after all. He'd learned his lesson about waterbenders and the full moon the hard way the year before.

"What, as dangerous as you, is he? I've dealt with weapons in the past."

"He's not a weapon. He wants revenge. And he's after you."

"Uh-huh." She threw more ice at him, now lifting him about ten feet off the ground where he really had to struggle to free himself.

"Kaiya, if you hadn't already guessed it, your parents are not the best people on the planet. They – Kaiya," he lost his temper. Couldn't she ever see reason? Breaking out of the ice, he slid down and grabbed her by the shoulders before she could react and said angrily, "He wants to hurt them the way he's been hurt by them. And killing you seems the best way to him."

"And, what, I'm supposed to believe you're just trying to protect me now?" Kaiya suddenly had to remind herself that she hated Zakk Foco. Being this close to him was bringing back too many old memories.

Why did her eyes have to glow like that? It was very difficult not to, so he stopped fighting the temptation. Suddenly his lips were on hers. Heat rose up in him, that dangerous kind of heat he'd felt whenever they'd kissed. Letting her go as quickly as he'd grabbed her, he calmly admitted, "Always, Kaiya."

Kaiya's eyes flashed angrily as she threw a third wave of ice at him. This time, from the tower of ice, Zakk didn't struggle. Instead he laughed and called down to her, "It was worth it, Kaiya."

She pulled her own water tower and rose up to meet Zakk's eyes. "Was it?" She asked.

Zakk's smile vanished. He'd almost killed her once. "They didn't order me to date you. Everything we were was real."

Kaiya, while avoiding his gaze, saw a strange clay pendant around Zakk's neck. It resembled a yin-yang symbol, but was made of two dragon heads circling each other. One was detailed in red, the other blue. They were equally matched. They balanced each other perfectly. It was the necklace Zakk had made for Kaiya for Christmas, just after their classmates had started calling them "The Dragon Couple." Kaiya had buried it with her journal. Her eyes snapped back up to meet Zakk's.

"I couldn't let them find out about you," he explained, needing her to believe him.

Kaiya saw the truth and pain in his eyes. She'd often seen him look like that, but she'd never known what it meant. She had always assumed he would tell her when he was ready. Now she thought she understood. She threw her arms around him and kissed him, simultaneously melting both the towers until they landed safely on the floor of the deserted hotel ballroom.

It was like none of the bad stuff had happened. No, that was wrong. It was just like everything had happened, but instead of seeing the betrayal, Kaiya saw the greater truth of it all. They really were, had always been, a pair of dragons, circling each other. Fire and Water. They were equally matched. They balanced each other. Being back in Zakk's arms, Kaiya felt she was exactly where she needed to be.

Zakk pulled away as the image of Kaiya lying motionless in the middle of the street came back to him. "Kaiya," he said, avoiding her eyes. "I can't."

Kaiya put a hand on Zakk's face. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to hurt you again," he said, closing his eyes. He didn't want to look at her. When he looked at her, he made bad decisions. He wasn't good for her, and he knew that.

Kaiya kissed him on the cheek and rested her forehead on his for a moment. "So don't," she whispered. Zakk opened his eyes and met Kaiya's. "I never got over you, Zakk."

Zakk kissed her again, letting himself forget what a bad idea it was. He didn't deserve her, this was true, but he wasn't going to waste another moment of his life without her.

*****

"So, what you're saying is, the current Avatar is a waterbender?" Washi asked from the couch.

Hotaru sighed. Leave it to Washi only hear half of what she said. "No. Not necessarily. The fact is, we simply don't know."

"But the last Avatar was an airbender," Hahn said. "So the next Avatar would be a waterbender."

"But the cycle was broken!" Hotaru yelled. "Avatar Aang died in the Avatar State."

Washi held up a hand. "Question: What the hell is the Avatar State?"

"Haven't you been listening?"

"Apparently not," Washi conceded.

Hotaru sighed again. "The Avatar State is when the Avatar connects to all his previous lives. The power of all the past Avatars enters his body, and he basically becomes unstoppable."

"Sweet," Washi said, nodding in approval.

"Yes, it was. In the Avatar State the Avatar is at his strongest, but also his most vulnerable. If killed in the Avatar State, the cycle is broken. That's what happened. Aang was killed in the Avatar State. So the next Avatar could be anyone. Or, it could be no one."

"What do you mean?" Hahn asked. "Doesn't there have to be an Avatar?"

"No. There doesn't," Hotaru shook her head.

"That doesn't sound reassuring," Washi said.

"But your theory is that the benders disappeared because the Avatar disappeared. Following that, if the benders are back, it means the Avatar is back."

Hotaru shrugged. "So where the hell is he?" Hahn and Washi exchanged glances. "We've all been around for almost twenty years. Someone as powerful as the Avatar would have made a splash by now. With the Elites and the White Lotus both trying to find him, _someone_ would have."

"I know they're our enemy and everything, but Hotaru is totally right. The Elites would have found the Avatar by now," Washi said.

Hahn looked away. "We're not so sure they didn't."

"We?" Washi asked.

"Sorry. The White Lotus," Hahn clarified. "They think the Elites figured it out."

"Who do they think it is?" Hotaru asked.

Hahn shrugged. "They won't tell me. I don't know why."

"I do," Hotaru said, sighing. "I'm going to go find Kaiya, fill her in on this. Not that she'll listen any better than _you_," she looked at Washi, "but she should know. I'll see you both later." Hotaru walked out of the room

Hahn looked at Washi. "Do you know what she meant by that?"

"Well, duh, man, I've got ADD."

"I meant about why the White Lotus wouldn't tell me who they think the Avatar is." Sometimes, okay, most times, Washi really tried Hahn's patience.

Washi shrugged. "Maybe you're too close to the person? Or, dude! Maybe's it's you, but they haven't found the right way to tell you yet!"

Hahn decided to stop asking Washi any serious questions.

*****

"Why did you tell me Wei was your father?" Kaiya asked, repositioning herself on the grass to get a better look at Zakk. They'd decided to take a little walk in the park across the street from the hotel, but had got sidetracked after a few minutes. They were now laying in the grass, looking up at the stars and the full moon.

"What was I supposed to tell you? 'Oh, Kaiya, this is my handler Wei. Wei, this is my new girlfriend Kaiya, you know, the girl you told me to protect with my life.' Uh-huh, because that would have gone over well," Zakk muttered. He didn't want to talk about the past, but he owed it to Kaiya to be honest.

"So, he like, kidnapped you, right? Isn't that what the Elites do?" Kaiya asked. She didn't want to bring up painful memories. She just wanted to understand better what Wei and the Elites had done to Zakk. He had so much good in him that she had to wonder what had made him so evil for so long.

Zakk looked at her. "He didn't kidnap me, not really. He rescued me. Remember the scar I have on my chest?"

Kaiya nodded. "From the fire when your mom died."

Zakk shook his head. "Not just my mom. My dad and my little brother. I had had a nightmare, and when I woke up the house was on fire. Wei barged in, picked me up, got me out. Later he told me I could make amends to my family by joining his cause. He told me I was going to save the world, that my family would have been proud of me. That's how they create weapons, Kaiya. They tell little kids that they killed their families and then tell them how to make it all right."

Kaiya's heart was breaking for Zakk. "You didn't mean to, though, Zakk. You have to know that it wasn't your fault!"

Zakk smiled at her. "I figured that part out, Kaiya," he reassured her. "It took a while, and a friend named Mike Chan, but I figured that part out." He sighed. "But it was true that I was dangerous, you know. I'm not like Hotaru. Hotaru has a lot more control than I do. Someone had to harness that power. It wasn't going to be seven-year-old me." Zakk shrugged. "It had to be Wei."

Kaiya looked back up at the moon. "He was going to kill me, wasn't he?"

"You did tend to bring out that sentiment in him."

Kaiya smacked him in the arm. "Seriously. He was going to kill me. That's why you…"

"Kaiya, I wish you hadn't seen that. I have so many regrets. I've done terrible things…"

"Thank you," Kaiya said, cutting him off. She looked at him. "I never actually said that before. But, you know, thank you. That's two I owe you, right?"

Zakk smiled. "Yeah. Two."

Kaiya smiled back. Until she heard a girl scream in the distance. "Hotaru?"


	19. Chapter 19: Kidnapped

Chapter Nineteen: Kidnapped

Glacia steered Hotaru into the penthouse and locked her in the small bedroom Skylar usually slept in. She didn't bother removing the gag as she tied the firebender up. "You understand, Hotaru. This isn't the occasion for conversation." She tightened the ropes around Hotaru's hands. "Or firebending." Glacia let her go, and Hotaru slid to the floor in a heap. The puppet master smiled as she entered the living room, where the airbenders were waiting.

Skylar looked worried. He asked Anil, "Why didn't you just fight her if you wanted to fight her? Why did you have to bring her into this?" Skylar thought the firebender looked nice. She certainly didn't look like she would be in league with evil people. That's what Anil said Kaiya was. Evil. Honestly, sometimes, Skylar didn't follow Anil's logic.

"It is the full moon. I know better than to fight a waterbender on the full moon," Anil said, looking at Glacia.

"At the same time, the full moon makes this new plan perfect. Like we said before, child," Glacia said, looking back at Skylar with those crazy eyes of hers, "We will make Kaiya Saito come to us, and we will fight on our own terms."

*****

"What happened?" Kaiya yelled when she ran into Hahn and Washi, both with their swords drawn, in the thankfully deserted hotel lobby.

"Hotaru's disappeared," Hahn explained. He pointed a sword at Zakk. "What the hell is _he_ doing here?"

"I came with a warning," Zakk answered truthfully. Hahn had never liked Zakk, and recent developments guaranteed that the feeling could only evolve into absolute hatred.

"Oh, yeah? Your Elite buddies getting closer? Are they the ones who took Hotaru?" Hahn asked.

"I'm telling you, man, she wasn't taken by force. I saw her walking across the parking lot of her own accord. You know, until the scream," Washi said.

"It wasn't the Elites. The Elites are still trying to get their shit back together," Zakk said.

"And I'm telling you, Washi, you saw it wrong," Hahn said angrily. Kaiya didn't know who her cousin wanted to hit more, Zakk or Washi.

"I don't think he did," Zakk commented. Hahn glared at him while Washi gave him a smile. "I think it was Anil and Glacia."

"Who now, what, what?" Washi asked. "Aren't crazy little earthbenders and lunatic government agencies enough for us to deal with?"

"You're talking about the airbender, right?" Hahn asked.

"How the hell do you know about Anil?" Kaiya asked angrily.

Hahn was taken aback momentarily, as Kaiya's anger was rarely directed at him. Especially when there was someone much more worthy of her wrath in the room. "The White Lotus."

Zakk stifled a laugh. Of course Hahn joined the White Lotus. That just made Zakk's life complete.

"Who's Anil? What's a Glacia? What the hell is going on?" Washi asked, once again feeling like the freak amongst the freaks. He'd thought, when Hahn joined the group, that this outsider feeling would go away. He was dead wrong.

"Why would Anil kidnap Hotaru?" Kaiya asked Zakk.

"Anil is an airbender, one of two that the Elites know about. Glacia is a very dangerous waterbender. They are both a little mentally unhinged, and they are after Kaiya here because her parents are in charge of the Elites," Zakk summarized, taking pity on the poor guy.

"And they'd kidnap Hotaru to set a trap for Kaiya," Hahn finished. "Right?" he asked Zakk, who nodded.

Kaiya thought for a moment, then said, "Well, then, at least we'll know where she is soon enough."

The three guys looked at her in confusion.

"They'll want me to find them. They'll _want_ me to go after her. And, what's more, they know I will."

*****

Hotaru sat in her new little room and wondered what the others were doing right now. She was praying they wouldn't do what she knew they were going to do. They were going to come after her and rescue her. While the thought gave her some comfort, it also made Hotaru incredibly nervous. They'd never come across this kind of power in benders before. And she wasn't just talking about the airbenders.

Glacia, the ice-cold waterbender, had taken control over Hotaru's body, made her walk across the parking lot and get into Anil's car without a fight. Hotaru hadn't really realized what was going on at first. When she did, she screamed as loud as she could. That's when they'd gagged her. It was scary enough that someone else could take over her body, but what bothered Hotaru even more was that she didn't know how Glacia had done it.

Hotaru could only figure that it had something to do with the full moon. She'd heard Anil say something about that. And Kaiya had told her that she was basically unstoppable during the full moon. And the human body was mostly water, so Hotaru assumed Glacia had figured out a way to use that. However she did it, it was creepy as hell, and Hotaru prayed she couldn't do it all the time, or they were all royally screwed.

Hotaru went back to worrying about her friends. She hoped that, when they did come to get her, they wouldn't come without a plan. She tried to send a mental message to Kaiya to not do anything stupid. Then she tried to send a mental message to Hahn to come up with a damn smart plan. She was currently pessimistic about the chances that she was a firebender _and_ telepathic.

Kaiya would have made an X-Men crack.

Why did these things keep happening to them? Did they have magnets in their pockets or something? Honestly. This was getting ridiculous.

*****

"I am really uncomfortable with giving the crazy airbender what he wants," Washi said. They'd adjourned to the suite for more in depth planning, as there was no sign of Hotaru anywhere and really nothing to do until Anil contacted them.

"But he'll kill her," Hahn said quietly. He looked up at Zakk, "Won't he?"

Zakk met his eyes. "I'm not so sure he won't kill her anyway."

"He said he wanted to destroy my parents' future. Not me, in particular," Kaiya said.

"I fail to see how that helps," Washi said.

"Look, wanting to hurt me, he'd kill Hotaru and start killing you guys off one by one," Kaiya explained. Washi was about to say something else, but Kaiya continued, "Wanting to destroy my parents means he only has to kill me. He doesn't need to kill my friends in order to accomplish that. Unless I don't come forward and fight him."

"You can't win against a flying, angry maniac," Zakk said. "He kicked my ass, Kaiya. Like royally."

"That's not hard," Kaiya shot back.

Hahn held up a hand. The rest shut up. Kaiya had never seen Hahn look so serious, not even after her incident the previous year. "We know he'll kill her if we don't take his bait. I, for one, can't just sit by and let that happen. So, here's what we're going to do. Kaiya, you're staying here. Zakk and Washi, you're with me."

"What?" A chorus asked.

"Dude, I'd be like airbender crushed taking two steps towards the guy!"

"Two nonbenders and one firebender? Are you completely out of your mind?"

"What do you mean, 'Kaiya, you're staying here'? Who the hell made you the boss of me? And if you say the White Lotus, I'm going to kick your ass into next week!"

Hahn held up another hand and waited for the chaos to settle. "What, you want to give him what he wants? You want to just walk in there with Kaiya?"

Zakk and Washi looked at each other and then at Kaiya. Washi blinked. "Well, yeah," he said. He pointed at Kaiya. "Waterbender."

"Face facts, Hahn. We couldn't do it without Kaiya," Zakk declared.

"Besideswhich, do you really think I'm not going to go after her one way or another after she came to get me out of that Elite compound?" Kaiya asked. "What in our experience together makes you think I'd make it easy for you to talk me out of this?"

Hahn was admitting his defeat when the phone rang. Kaiya launched herself at it. "Hotaru?"

"No," a cold male voice answered her.

"Anil."

"You have perhaps run into Zakk Foco again, I take it."

"He has a knack for finding me," Kaiya answered.

"Yes, I was counting on that." Kaiya figured as much, but she wouldn't be the one telling Zakk that. He'd just run away again. "I suppose you know what I want then?"

"Yeah, I've heard your tragic past and your plan for revenge. It's very comic booky you know."

"That must mean I am your nemesis. Well, nemesis, turn on the news. You have twelve hours to show yourself, or I will throw your firebender friend off the rooftop of the newly refurbished Saito Skyscraper." The line went dead.

Kaiya clicked on the television and listened to the breaking news. "A terrorist organization identifying itself as the Nomads has taken over the International Airport. The Airport was recently closed due to extensive flood damage, and was empty save for a cleaning crew when a small group of terrorists stormed in and took the crew hostage. Reports are also coming in that there is also another unknown hostage who was forced to enter the airport with the terrorists. The terrorists have made no demands or even any threats save one. 'The evil of the parents will be repaid with the blood of the children.' What these Nomads mean to do or what exactly they want is beyond unclear."

Kaiya turned it off, and silence consumed the room. "Looks like we're going to the airport, boys."

"How long do we have?" Hahn asked.

Kaiya looked at the quickly rising sun. So much for the advantage of the night. "Not long enough," Kaiya admitted.


	20. Chapter 20: Destiny Revealed

Chapter Twenty: Destiny Revealed

"Anil, we should have waited. We should have kept her hidden longer, bided our time." Glacia said softly, looking around the terminal, and feeling anxious about keeping a Firbender locked in a Duty Free store. There were, after all, plenty of highly flammable objects in there. She'd never much appreciated bombs. Too messy for Glacia's liking. She enjoyed neat, clean.

"I thought you were getting bored, Glacia."

"True, but this would be so much easier on the full moon, or at least at night."

"And you would have been giving the girl the same advantage that you have at night. Only, she would use it against me. The one thing I do not want to do is go up against someone like you, my dear. But tonight, we have the advantage. Not one Air Nomad, but two." Anil regarded his little brother carefully. "Soon, very soon, we will have our revenge."

"Oh, yeah. Great," Skylar answered lamely, as he couldn't help but wonder if Grandpa Andy would have liked them doing this. Taking over an airport? Kidnapping the pretty Firebender? Setting a trap for the one the Elites _and_ the White Lotus bothsuspected was the Avatar, the master of all four elements? It seemed at the very least questionable. But what was Skylar to do about any of it? His loyalty had to be with Anil. He was the only family he had left.

"I think I hear someone," Glacia muttered. A young man with hook swords drawn came running through the terminal. "Oh, this should be fun," she said, smiling to herself.

*****

Kaiya skidded on the water as she and Washi reached another flooded hallway. "Why the hell did an airbender flood his private airport?" Washi asked, trying to regain his stability, a very difficult feat considering the broadswords in his hands.

"I don't think he did. Makes no sense. Gives me an advantage."

"Or levels the odds," Washi added. When Kaiya threw him a curious look, he explained, "Well, air is all around us, right? So, if water is also all around, well, then, you're even, and it's skill against skill alone."

Kaiya shook her head at him and split the puddles ahead of them so they could keep running.

"Hey it made sense in _my_ head!" Washi yelled as he followed, slightly more cautiously, as he really didn't want the extensions of his arms to fly off and decapitate his, well, Kaiya. Not that she was his. Stupid firebender.

Kaiya ran with everything she had. Where were the others? Was Anil using them for his evil plot? He was probably going to try, anyway. Suddenly, she saw Hahn flying across a terminal and into a mountain of ice just like the ones she had used against Zakk. Not stopping to think, Kaiya reacted on instinct, again, throwing a crashing wave down on top of the one who had flooded the airport, a waterbender with bright electric blue hair and a cocky smile on her face. Now a sopping waterbender, she looked straight into Kaiya's eyes and stood ready to fight her.

"No, Glacia. She is mine. Take the other swordsman. You had some fun with the last one, after all. Skylar, help her." Anil, tall, muscular, would have been cute if it hadn't been for the tattoos and dark eyes. Having only seen Anil briefly on the news zooming around on his stick thing, Kaiya was surprised by the intricate design of the black arrow tattoos weaving over Anil's face and, presumably, connecting at the base of the neck where they continued down his spine. "Kaiya Saito. Fancy meeting you here." Kaiya watched him carefully, wondering who would strike first.

Behind her, Kaiya could hear Washi and Glacia fighting. At least Washi wasn't an ice cube quite yet. "Bit unfair, isn't it? You having a bender fight nonbender enemies? Sounds like something an Elite would do."

Kaiya knew she'd struck gold. Angry now, Anil sent a wall of wind toward her, and she was knocked off balance. "I watched my family perish for being special, powerful, for trying to reclaim our birthright. Do not speak to me about what is unfair."

"That's all very tragic and heart-wrenching and all, but why do this? Kidnapping my friend and taking over an airport? How is that supposed to help?" Kaiya asked.

"It got you here, didn't it? The Red Spirit, Champion of Justice, Kaiya Saito, daughter of the two most dangerous agents the Elites have ever taken orders from. Granddaughter of the man who ordered my home to be destroyed."

Kaiya shrugged. "Well, I didn't know that about Grandpa Leon, but it does kinda does sound like him," she conceded, remembering how cold he had been.

Anil smiled, which did not give Kaiya warm fuzzy feelings. "Don't worry, Kaiya. All the Saitos will be punished." Then he was attacking her. Dodging a miniature tornado thing, Kaiya cart wheeled away, gathering water as she went, though the supply was slightly depleted by the other waterbender. Throwing her whip at him seemed stupid as he flew into the air.

Chaos ensued.

Kaiya soon realized that it had been utterly pointless to get Anil angry. What had worked so well with Zakk was failing with the airbender. Air lacked the wild destructive power of Fire. Therefore, Anil's control didn't matter. He was hitting her with everything he had, and not only was this not having disastrous effects on the airport, but also it was, well, working. Kaiya, after being hit, getting the wind knocked out of her half a dozen times, and being thrown and shaken through the air like a rag doll, found herself being help upright by Anil with a hand on her throat. Already sore, with very little left to keep up with this fight, Kaiya's fate did not seem all that bright at the moment.

"You know the one thing all four elements have in common, Kaiya?" Anil held her so tightly she could scarcely breathe, let alone give a smartass reply. "No?" He grinned into her helpless face. His moment had come. "They all give life, and without any one of them," he started bending the air slowly and painfully out of her lungs, out of her whole body, "you'll die."

Out of nowhere a fireball struck Anile squarely in the arm that held Kaiya. The waterbender slid to the floor, gasping for breath as Anil turned to face his attacker.

Zakk saw the surprise crawl over Anil's painted face as comprehension dawned on the airbender. Not hesitating another second, Zakk threw another Fireball at him. This one the airbender seemed to pull apart. _Fire needs air, you idiot. You have attacked him with something he can control._

Kaiya got up and, unwilling to let Zakk take care of Anil for her (she'd never hear the end of it), she drew five icicles into her hand and threw them at Anil.

Anil swerved around the daggers and, bending the air currents carrying them, sent them straight toward the firebender. Zakk, caught off guard, threw a hasty fire shield in front of him, a little trick that never failed to melt those annoying icicles Kaiya loved to throw. This was a new sensation, using his bending not against Kaiya, but beside her, against a common enemy. This is what it should have been like all along. If only they'd told each other, trusted each other. If only he'd figured it out sooner.

Anil seized his chance, taking the moment Zakk took to look into Kaiya's eyes and using it to begin bending air out of the Firebender's lungs. More quickly than he'd done with Kaiya, less painful, but time mattered more at this precise moment.

Zakk couldn't bend. He couldn't move. He could do nothing but stare. Then, like he figured she would, Kaiya did something a little insane.

It was the only thing she hadn't tried yet. Throwing herself at Anil, Kaiya began to fight the old fashioned way, punching, kneeing, full out kicking when she could.

This was unorthodox. Anil with his last bit of control over Zakk's body, threw it through the glass of the Duty Free shop, freeing the more timid firebender, but hopefully making her think twice about helping Kaiya.

Hotaru couldn't look at Zakk, bleeding and motionless. She jumped through the shattered glass and threw two giant balls of fire out of her fists and into the ice mounds holding Hahn and Washi. The other waterbender was distracted by the fight, obviously working out a way to help Anil without hurting him.

"Hey, Ice Queen," Hahn said, sneaking up on her, when Glacia turned, he hit her with two jabs to her shoulders and ran to join Kaiya's fight.

Something caught Kaiya's attention as Hahn took over fighting Anil. _Zakk? _Gathering her courage, Kaiya edged closer to the Duty Free shop. There was glass everywhere. And blood. She bent down and touched Zakk's face. He was still breathing, but it was shallow. As she wiped blood and sweat off his face, his eyes snapped open. He tried to lift his hand but couldn't. She grabbed his hand and willed him to hold on.

"Kaiya," he whispered. "You're the only…"

"Zakk, you're going to be fine," Kaiya lied, voice shaking.

"You are the only thing I don't regreat," he said slowly.

"Zakk?" Kaiya asked, frightened. "You – you can't. You can't! You – you saved my life," she whispered, leaning in close to him.

"No – you saved mine," Zakk whispered. "Promise, Kaiya – don't, don't go back to the ocean. The world needs you." He closed his eyes.

"Zakk!" Kaiya yelled at him. She shook him. She pounded on his chest and fell forward crying over his unmoving chest. _No. Zakk. Get back here. Come back! NO! _Uncontrollable tears. She couldn't breathe. Pain filled every part of her. Then she let go, and there was light all around.

Kaiya was glowing. Washi stopped chasing the smaller airbender around the terminal and stared.

Anil dropped Hahn, forgetting his resolve to get Kaiya Saito and his revenge. Glacia, at his side, though weak from the attack, looked toward the Avatar in shock and horror. "We're leaving," Anil said sternly. Picking up his glider, he called, "Skylar, away now!"

"But, Anil, you just … That guy's dead!"

"Skylar, I will not tell you again. Time to go."

Now Kaiya looked up, her eyes glowing white orbs that snapped directly to Anil. Then she was floating, bloodstains all down her torn shirt and jeans. Anil and his gang fled, and Kaiya continued to glow, creating a giant orb all around her that glowed, too. Hotaru, helping Hahn up, was the first to see all the water. The campus lake had been nothing compared to this. Kaiya was slowly creating a giant indoor whirlpool, and they had to stop it. Or, well, drown in an airport.

"Hahn, what do we do?" Hotaru yelled over the noise.

Hahn's voice was scratchy, but he managed to yell, "Washi! You have to calm her down."

"Me? What?" Washi was confused. Sure, he was the closest, but what the hell was he supposed to say to her? He inched his way towards the shop, open now that all the glass had been blown out. "Kaiya!" he screamed. He could barely reach her foot. Careful not to step on Zakk, he reached out to her. "Kaiya, it's me! It's us! Anil's disappeared. Kaiya, we need you! Come back! Kaiya, please!" Giving her a gentle tug that didn't seem to help much, Washi whispered softly, "There are still people here who love you, Kaiya. Come back to us."

Not sure if whatever was happening was simply wearing off or if his words had worked, Washi found himself catching Kaiya's limp body in his arms. Thankfully, she seemed all right physically. He'd seen her come through worse than this all right, at any rate. "Washi," Kaiya whispered, nestling herself closer to him.

"It's okay, Kaiya. You're safe."


End file.
